Doctors plan two strikes for Southland
A double whammy of looming strike action at Southland Hospital will result in postponed surgeries and outpatient appointments for some patients, the Southern District Health Board says.
Junior doctors employed at DHBs nationwide plan to go on two 48-hour strikes, from January 15-16 and from January 29-30.
The first, due to begin 7am on Tuesday, will see more than 3300 members of the Resident Doctors Association walk off the job nationwide, including junior doctors at Southland Hospital.
Southern District Health Board chief executive Chris Fleming said nonurgent, planned surgeries and some outpatient appointments would be postponed and rescheduled as a result of the strike action.
‘‘We are still determining how many will have to be postponed.’’
Affected patients will be contacted by phone, text or letter.
Fleming said the SDHB was disappointed the junior doctors in the Resident Doctors Association union had voted to strike.
‘‘It will have an impact on the services we deliver which will extend beyond the two days of the strike.’’
Senior doctors are not striking and not all junior doctors will participate in the strike.
Southern hospitals also affected will be Dunedin Hospital, Wakari Hospital, Lakes District Hospital and all community based health care services where junior doctors employed by the SDHB are working.
Fleming said the hospitals would continue to provide essential and urgent services including emergency departments, acute surgery, intensive care, cancer treatments, maternity services and renal dialysis.
‘‘Patient safety is our priority and we will do all we can to limit disruption.’’
Staff would look to rebook patients whose operations were postponed but it would take time, he said.
New Zealand Resident Doctors Association senior advocate David Munro, when announcing the second strike to take place in late January, said the intransigence of DHB employers at mediated bargaining earlier this week had inflamed an already bitter dispute.
The junior doctors were more determined than ever not to accept clawbacks to their terms and conditions, he said.
‘‘This vote for a second strike testifies to their resolve.’’
The DHBs position meant junior doctors could be required to work more than 16 hours in a row without guarantee of rest or safety, Munro said.
They could also lose access to education and training, jeopardising the quality of care they were able to deliver to patients, he said.
Other staff at Southland Hospital have already been on strike this month.
The hospital’s six anaesthetic technicians walked off the job at 7am on Thursday this week and went back at 4pm yesterday.
The SDHB did not say if the action resulted in patients being affected.
For the anaesthetic technicians at Southland Hospital, it was the second time they had taken strike action since October.
Union representative Dr Deborah Powell said the technicians, who provided skilled assistance to anaesthetists in operating theatres, were under staffed at Southland Hospital.
The hospital had six anaesthetic technicians but nine were needed to cover 24-7 care, she said.
‘‘We are asking for a minimum of nine on the roster to allow for adequate sleep after on-call and callback duties.
‘‘This strike is about ensuring safe healthcare for Southlanders.’’
It was a common occurrence for paediatric MRI scans and dental surgeries to be cancelled due to insufficient anaesthetic technicians, she said.