8 October 2019
Women patients pay price as staffing shortages put hospitals on edge
Women patients are paying the price for gaping holes as dire staffing shortages put hospitals on the edge, says Angela
Belich, Acting Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).
RNZ reported today that women in Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, South Canterbury and Blenheim are turning away women with
“non-urgent” gynaecological conditions due to a shortage of specialists: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/400491/women-denied-treatment-for-gynaecological-conditions
In August a similar situation was reported at Counties Manukau District Health Board.
“It’s distressing to think that women are suffering and having to manage painful conditions because of the ongoing
crisis in specialist staffing,” Ms Belich says.
ASMS has conducted a series of surveys of District Health Board heads of department to ascertain the level of specialist
shortages in different parts of the country. The surveys reveal an average shortage of 24% - and in some DHBs it is far
higher.
“Coping with staffing shortages has become the new normal and hospitals are being forced to operate on the edge,” says
Ms Belich.
“Specialists and DHBs don’t want to turn people away but are being left with no choice.”
“The Government expects to post a surplus of $7.5 billion, the biggest in a decade, and should be investing part of it
to repair the damage wrought by at least a decade of underfunding.”
For too long successive governments have ignored workforce shortages, which has led to high levels of stress and burnout
among hospital specialists as well as restricted access to services.
ENDS