



Photo: Jimmy Ellingham, RNZĪ woman discharged herself from Palmerston North Hospital after suffering a severe reaction to a sedative administered to her in the emergency department as pain relief.ĭespite being in extreme pain, the woman waited one hour and 45 minutes without help until a nurse saw her in November 2019 and gave her the sedative. Palmerston North Hospital's emergency department was built to deal with about 17,000 patients a year, but sees more than three times that number.
