The day Whakatāne will never forget

To date, there have been 20 deaths (including two unrecovered bodies) among those who were there when the volcano off the Bay of Plenty coast erupted on 9 December. The latest was Melbourne man Paul Browitt, one of 13 patients flown back to Australia for treatment, who died on 13 January. Thirteen more patients continue to be treated in New Zealand at Middlemore, Hutt Valley, Waikato and Christchurch hospitals. The events of the day were such that Bay of Plenty DHB is providing ongoing counselling support while declining media requests. New Zealand Doctor was invited to speak exclusively to practitioners who provided treatment at Whakatāne Hospital immediately after the eruption. These are their stories