News
Media Statements
5 August 2007
International support in senior doctors' dispute
International doctors are throwing their weight behind
As the fourth week of stopworks begin tomorrow (Monday) support has been coming in from doctors groups in the
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Ian Powell says he has received a letter of support from two American groups – the Doctors Council (representing senior doctors) and the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) representing junior doctors. As well, the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) has also offered support.
Dr Christopher Verco, President of ASMOF, says
“We are also familiar with the apparent blindness of some health executives to the need for public hospitals to be adequately staffed with a competent and well trained senior medical workforce.”
CIR President Dr Simon Ahtaridis says that in an increasingly global world, terms and conditions of employment for doctors must be competitive in order to recruit and retain the physicians necessary to maintain high quality health care systems.
“A brain drain of
“We urge the District Health Boards to return to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith.”
Dr Barry Liebowitz, President of the Doctors’ Council says his members applaud and support
“As doctors, our mission is to best serve our patients and deliver quality and safe patients care.
He says to achieve this there needs to be an ability to recruit and retain doctors.
Ian Powell says the support shows the issues senior doctors in
“
“The impact would be felt here in
Ian Powell says senior doctors at all 19 stopwork meetings to date have overwhelmingly, in some cases unanimously, supported holding a vote on whether to take lawful national industrial action, a move senior doctors have never taken before.
Stopwork meetings around the country continue tomorrow with a meeting of senior doctors from Auckland DHB meeting tomorrow (Monday).
