The concerned son of an Auckland grandmother who received surgery at an Auckland hospital is shocked at the meal she was served post-operation.
Chang Hung, a MediaWorks employee who works behind the scenes at Magic Talk radio, posted a photo of his mum's meal on Facebook with the caption: "Mum is staying overnight after having surgery today and this is what's for dinner - WTF."
After sharing the photo of his mother's food on his professional Facebook page, more than 50 people weighed in sharing their views with many agreeing it was unacceptable.
"Most people after surgery have weak stomachs and can't eat this slop," one wrote.
"Hospital food is disgusting! I cannot believe we actually serve half the stuff we do! Some of it is just plain slop. Unappetising and hardly appealing and nutrition is questionable. It's sad really," another said.
"Oh God that doesn't look appealing at all! I usually love hospital meals! But this is blimmin shithouse," a third commented.
Hung told Newshub he was disappointed at the quality of her meal.
"When I saw the photo I was like, 'is that seriously what they are serving to people at hospitals?'" he says.
"It did not look right."
Some disagreed though and said Hung and his mother should be grateful with the food she was served.
"For what it's worth, I would be thankful that I'm getting taken care of and fed. OK it may not be appetising but it could be worse," one said.
North Shore Hospital operates in the Waitematā District Health Board (DHB). A spokesperson for the DHB says it aims to provide a range of meals for its patients.
"The presentation of this meal is not up to the standard we would normally expect and we have passed this feedback onto Compass Medirest [its food provider].
"The provision of nutritious hospital food is a fundamental part of the healthcare service that we provide and our fortnightly menu cycle includes 50 special diet options to cater for multiple dietary and nutritional requirements," they say.
They confirmed the meal Hung's mother was served consisted of smoked fish in white sauce, steamed pumpkin, mashed potato and peas. They say this particular menu option is commonly provided to patients requiring a soft food, restricted fibre and low-fat option.
"This meal contributes to a patient's daily nutritional needs and includes protein, carbohydrates and micronutrients.
"It is also a meal received by a patient when a specific meal option is not selected. Every inpatient under our care is provided with a meal option."
They say Waitematā DHB "continually seeks feedback" from its patients and family on the meals served in its hospitals.
