News
Media Statements
8 August 2007
Wanganui senior doctors hold Health Minister to account
Wanganui senior doctors today joined their colleagues around
They also sent a clear message to the Minister of Health Pete Hodgson that he carries responsibility for the deterioration in patient safety caused by the workforce crisis facing the health system.
The meeting, which was strongly attended by Wanganui senior doctors, was the latest in a series of nationwide stopwork meetings held over the past four weeks. Senior doctors took the unprecedented move to hold the meetings after reaching an impasse in negotiations with District Health Boards for a new national collective agreement.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists assistant executive director Angela Belich says the meeting unanimously supported holding a postal ballot on whether strike action should be taken. Senior doctors have never before considered this option.
“The meeting also resolved that if significant intervention at District Health Board and Government level does not occur, patient safety will be further compromised as a consequence of the current and escalating workforce crisis in
“Senior doctors also said responsibility for this continued deterioration in patient safety will lie with the Minister of Health,” she says.
The meeting also voted to reject the DHBs’ current offer and condemned the DHBs for their failure to negotiate genuinely.
Angela Belich says the serious concern about the shortage of senior doctors in hospitals and the difficulty of retaining and recruiting them is reflected in the problems facing Wanganui DHB.
“Wanganui DHB would be one of the most vulnerable in the country and has had difficulty recruiting specialists. Wanganui has been unable to recruit permanent obstetric and gynaecological specialists and has faced well publicised problems with recruiting to its paediatric department.
“Wanganui senior doctors are worried that unless something is done further shortages will negatively affect patients.”
The last day of stopwork meetings is tomorrow, with meetings in Rotorua and Whakatane.
