Senior doctors accuse DHBs of con job

Media release

Senior doctors accuse DHBs of con job

Gisborne senior doctors today described the DHBs call for arbitration as a “con job and a panic reaction”.

And this morning’s stopwork meeting involving senior doctors from Tairawhiti DHB unanimously supported holding a vote on whether to take industrial action.

The meeting is the third in a series of unprecedented stopwork meetings that started yesterday. The three meetings to date have all given the green light to holding a postal ballot of members on taking lawful national industrial action, a move senior doctors have never before taken.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Ian Powell says the turnout at the meeting was stunning.

“Every doctor on duty took part in the meeting, people who weren’t working that day came in for it and some took time out from private practice to attend.”

Ian Powell says Gisborne senior doctors were also puzzled by the DHBs’ apparent decision yesterday to unilaterally withdraw from mediation with the ASMS and to instead call for arbitration.

“Gisborne doctors described this move as a con job and a panic reaction. By suggesting arbitration, DHBs’ are showing they recognise that they can afford our position – otherwise they wouldn’t be prepared to take the risk of arbitration.”

“At Tairawhiti DHB over 80% of the senior doctors are from overseas. There should be 54 senior doctors on staff and there are only 37, an extraordinary shortage of over 30%.

“New Zealand is struggling to recruit and retain senior doctors – and the situation at Tairawhiti DHB confirms this.”

“Gisborne Hospital doctors are dedicated to providing safe high quality services to their patients but are being undermined by these serious shortages,” Ian Powell says.

Gisborne doctors turned down the DHBs’ proposal with one abstention.

The next stopwork meeting will involve senior doctors at Northland DHB and will be held tomorrow (Thursday).

ENDS

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