Wellington, Sept 7 NZPA - The medical laboratory which lost a multi-million dollar contract with three Auckland district health boards has re-ignited the row by sending a video tape of patient criticism to media.

Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau health boards awarded the contract for medical laboratory testing to Australian-based Labtests but that began the legal row with former provider Diagnostic Medlab (DML). DML lost the battle earlier this year when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Labtests for the eight-year contract worth $560 million.

Several days ago DML hired a personal relations firm to interview patients outside Labtests new collection centres.

Twenty five patients were asked about the services they received and seven negative responses were edited together and released to media.

DML chief executive Arther Morris told One News people had to know "the reality of it".

"People just told it as they saw it," he said.

In the video patients said they were "disgusted" with a "completely unprofessional" service and complained about long wait times.

Labtests chief executive Ulf Lindskog said the firm was focusing on its services. Whatever DML did was up to them, he said.

DML have also sent a dossier of complaints from general practitioners to Health Minister Tony Ryall.

However, the DHBs did accept some public criticism.

Auckland DHB chairman Pat Snedden the public would give DHBs four or five out of 10 so far.

"We accept that and are dealing with it very straightforwardly," he said.

However, DML's tactics were no longer relevant and there was no going back on the decision to take on Labtests as provider, he said.