News
Media Statements
27 July 2007
Momentum grows with senior doctors’ condemnation
There is growing condemnation by senior doctors towards the DHBs’ refusal to address the medical workplace crisis hitting
In an unprecedented move senior doctors are involved in 26 stopwork meetings around the country, with the latest meetings being held today involving doctors working for the Hawke’s Bay DHB and the West Coast DHB.
The move comes after an impasse with DHBs following a year of unsuccessful negotiations.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Ian Powell says with almost half the meetings held it is becoming increasingly clear that further industrial action is on the cards, unless the retention and recruitment issues facing hospitals are addressed.
“The DHBs need to sit up and take notice. They should be very concerned as senior doctors are making it very clear that unless something is done to address the chronic shortage of senior doctors in our hospitals then they may be forced to take further industrial action.
“Our doctors have a responsibility to ensure that they are working in a safe environment for patients, and increasingly with the shortages facing our hospitals there is a big question mark over patient safety.”
To date all 12 meetings have voted in favour, in some cases unanimously, of holding a ballot of members to decide if lawful industrial action should be taken.
Ian Powell says the situation facing those in the West Coast further highlights the seriousness of the crisis, with
“The DHB is having to bring doctors in from
All 12 meetings have also voted to reject the DHBs’ current offer and condemned the DHBs for their failure to negotiate genuinely, he says.
In addition, the West Coast DHB doctors also agreed that a clear message needed to be sent to the public, the Government and the DHB that “the entire
Meanwhile those senior doctors in the Hawke’s Bay expressed their concern that the ability to recruit and retain staff was having an impact on the rights of New Zealanders to receive the care and treatment they need. The meeting also condemned the failure of the government to recognise and act to remedy the crisis.
The next meeting is being held on Monday July 30 involving senior doctors working for the Waikato DHB.
