The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) is the professional association and union uniting doctors and dentists in New Zealand.
She’s a mum, an anaesthetist and she’s on ASMS’ National Executive – she also has a black belt in karate. When Katie Ben decided to join her two young sons in their karate classes six years ago, self-doubt got the better of her and she almost turned around and drove home. Now Seido Karate is her passion. Read her inspiring story here
Doctors fear the coronavirus Covid-19 will hit New Zealand at the same time as the winter flu season, stretching health services and hospitals to breaking point. A report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research says New Zealand needs to do more to prepare for a pandemic and not rely on travel bans. Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said “I think our whole public health function in terms of epidemiology, planning, preparedness for …
A survey estimates a 43% shortfall of senior doctors at the West Coast District Health Board. The Association for Salaried Medical Staff, which represents senior hospital doctors and dentists, has just released the results of a staffing survey carried out between July and December last year. It has been looking at staffing levels across DHBs by asking clinical hospital leaders to assess how many full-time specialist positions are needed in their department to provide quality and timely patient care. Five …
Middlemore Hospital intensive care specialist Dr David Galler sees the impact of obesity every day and believes his region has been abandoned in its fight against fat. Dr Galler and ASMS have been highly critical of the government’s decision to allow the food industry to continue self-regulating fast food advertising and have written to the Health Minister calling for tighter regulations. Read more
The first round of MECA negotiations has kicked off in Wellington. We have put together a 23-strong negotiating team, made up of ASMS representatives from around the country. Here’s the presentation given by ASMS President Murray Barclay. It gives a good sense of the key issues we’ll be discussing: MECA negotiation background. See who’s on the ASMS team here.
The loss of two long-standing orthopaedic surgeons at Wairarapa DHB will exacerbate an already serious staffing shortage at Wairarapa DHB, says the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ASMS has just released the results of a staffing survey carried out in September last year which shows an estimated shortage of full-time senior doctor positions of 33%. It has been looking at staffing levels across DHBs by asking clinical hospital leaders to assess how many full-time specialist positions are needed in their …
The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says a chronic shortage of family doctors in Northland is no surprise. RNZ is reporting that the shortage means patients are waiting up to two weeks to see a GP, while Whangarei Hospital is sending about eight non-urgent patients away each day with vouchers for free treatment at a private emergency clinic. ASMS Executive Director Sarah Dalton says it shows up clear flaws in the current model of primary healthcare. “Having non-urgent patients …
Did you know that JCC meetings give you the chance to speak directly with your chief executive, CMO and your ASMS colleagues and representatives? Come along to the next JCC meeting and find out. We have a one-hour pre-meeting, followed by a two-hour JCC meeting. You can come to either or both.
The Hutt Valley District Health Board is operating with a significant shortage of senior doctors, according to a staffing survey carried out by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ASMS has been looking at senior doctor staffing levels across DHBs by asking clinical hospital leaders to assess how many full-time specialist positions are needed in their department to provide quality and timely treatment for patients. The Hutt Valley DHB survey, which was carried out between August-October last year, found an …
Health infrastructure investment part of much-needed catch-up The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists is pleased to see the government committing to much-needed investment in health infrastructure, with many facilities and hospitals running at breaking point. The government has today announced $300 million of capital investment to be spread across child and maternal health, mental health and addiction, regional and rural service projects and upgrading and fixing ageing hospital facilities. ASMS, which represents senior doctors and dentists, says there has been …