Surgeries will be put on hold as Southland anaesthetic technicians strike today.
Anaesthetic technicians at Southland Hospital will strike for 24 hours to protest a nationwide shortage.
They're asking for one new trainee each year, nine full-time equivalent staff on the roster so they can get enough sleep after on-call duties, and funding for professional development.
The Southern District Health Board says the Southland Hospital is the only one affected by the strike currently.
It says it may need to postpone elective surgeries but patients who will be affected have already been notified.
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