During Parliament's question time, Ms Dyson, the member for Port Hills, asked Health Minister Tony Ryall about his response to a letter from Canterbury neurosurgeon Ronald Boet stating he would resign and one from Canterbury's clinical leader of neurosurgery Martin MacFarlane saying he would retire from the profession if the announced model was imposed.
Mr Ryall said he did not recall receiving Mr Boet's letter, and made no reference to the other one.
He said he was aware a "number of people around the countryside may not be happy with what is being proposed", but reminded the House that the review was started because doctors and district health boards could not agree.
He did not agree with Ms Dyson's assertion that children from the whole of the South Island could have to travel to Auckland for neurosurgery (Mr MacFarlane is a paediatric neurosurgeon).
"This is about providing a sustainable service for the people of the South Island. That is why it has been strongly endorsed by her colleagues from Dunedin."
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times outside the House later, Ms Dyson said the letters had been written before the announcement of the expert panel's decisions last month and sent to acting director-general of health Andrew Bridgman and the panel.
It was her understanding nobody got back to Messrs Boet and MacFarlane about their concerns.
It was also her understanding the specialists felt completely stymied by the process.
They had raised serious concerns and nothing had been done.
She questioned whether the panel's announcement last month should have been touted as a solution.
Otago and Southland had celebrated success "and I joined in on that", but if "what you actually get is staff in Otago who won't be able to work and fewer staff in Canterbury" that was not a solution.
(Ms Dyson's reference to staff not being able to work related to the possibility of Otago staff needing supervision from Canterbury.)
Rather than being a solution, neurosurgery services could be in a worse situation, she said.
If the Canterbury neurosurgeons were a critical part of the success of what was planned, the panel should have checked with them before the announcement regarding the part they were to play.
A Canterbury District Health Board spokesman advised yesterday afternoon that no resignation letters had been received from the neurosurgeons.
National Health Board deputy director Michael Hundleby, in a statement last night, said it was vital Christchurch clinicians were involved in the discussions about the service with head of the governance board Prof Andrew Kaye.
Prof Kaye will be in Christchurch today.
"There will be heavy clinical involvement in the formation of the new service and Prof Kaye's visit is the beginnings of working through some of the Christchurch clinicians' concerns."
