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8 August 2007

Medical workforce crisis threatens doctor training

Senior doctors in Otago say the workforce crisis in the health system is harming doctor training and threatening the excellent reputation of the Otago School of Medicine.

About 65 senior doctors met in Dunedin today in the second to last day of a series of nationwide stopwork meetings held over the past four weeks. The unprecedented move by senior doctors comes in the wake of an impasse being reached in negotiations with District Health Boards for a national collective agreement.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell says the meeting gave overwhelming support to holding a postal vote of members to decide if lawful industrial action should be taken.

“Senior doctors also expressed deep concern about the impact the recruitment and retention crisis is having on doctor training. The meeting resolved that the medical workforce crisis is impairing junior and senior doctor training in New Zealand,” Ian Powell says.

Specialists at the meeting said shortages of senior doctors were resulting in them doing longer hours, which in turn meant their professional development and education was being neglected. Continued neglect of professional development and education compromises the ability of specialists to provide quality of care for patients.

“The viability of Dunedin Hospital directly impacts the quality of training at Otago School of Medicine, which holds a highly regarded position internationally. The senior doctor shortages at Otago DHB and their impact on health services at Dunedin hospital are threatening the reputation of the medical school,” he says.

Specialists at the Dunedin meeting unanimously voted to refuse the DHBs’ current offer and to condemn DHBs for their failure to genuinely negotiate.

“The meeting also took the step of expressing no confidence in the Minister of Health’s ability to recognise and appropriately respond to the current crisis in the recruitment and retention of senior doctors,” Ian Powell says.

This resolution was adopted with overwhelming support.

Tomorrow is the last day of the series of stopwork meetings, with senior doctors in Rotorua and Whakatane meeting to consider whether to hold a vote on strike action.