Wellington Feb 23, NZPA - Health Minister Tony Ryall has ignored warnings from senior doctors and nurses in deciding to merge the run-down Southland District Health Board (DHBs) with its Otago counterpart, their union says.

Mr Ryall's approval for the merger was "premature and unwise", Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell said.

"His acceptance of a top-down decision-making process and ignoring of warnings from senior doctors and nurses will only reinforce fears that clinical services in Southland will continue to be run down," Mr Powell said.

"Before any merger proceeded, the top-down managerialism culture in both DHBs, especially Southland, should have been addressed and clinical staff in both DHBs should have been to work together as equal partners in advising on how clinical services should best be organised and delivered in the two provinces."

The DHBs had already been working together for a number of years, sharing a joint regional management team, a joint chief executive, and two shared board members, including the deputy chair, Mr Ryall said yesterday.

"The Southern DHB is expected be formed on April 30, and the current members of both boards will work as a single board, under one chair, until the local elections at the end of this year."

When the matter was open for public consultation, the main concerns submitters had were losing services from Southland Hospital and representation for Southland, Mr Ryall said.

The new Southern DHB Board would have a clinical advisory committee, to give a "strong voice for clinicians" in planning new services, he said.

"The Government has accepted the recommendation of the two boards to establish two wards. After the DHB elections, there will be four elected representatives from Otago and three from the Southland region as well as four ministerial appointments.

"This merger is, in itself, not a panacea to the DHBs' service and financial challenges. But this local initiative is a good step in securing the future of southern health services."