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Demands not met, so Doctor strike going ahead

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date
Tue, 17 Jan 2017, 8:01AM
Photo / Kenny Rodger

Demands not met, so Doctor strike going ahead

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date
Tue, 17 Jan 2017, 8:01AM

As of today, junior resident doctors from around the country will strike for 72 hours, after demands for safer working hours remain unmet.

Thousands of doctors linked to the Resident Doctors Association will walk out on the job.

This comes after they went on strike last year, citing long hours and poor rosters, which they say means they can't look after patients the best they can.

CDHB medical registrar Dr Tamara Brodie said the DHB's haven't come to the table and made any decent response.

"We've made some progress with the bargaining people, but when they actually go to the DHB's, the DHB's just don't agree with any of those gains, I guess, that we've made with the bargaining."

Dr Brodie said no doctor really wants to walk off the job.

"It's really sad that it's had to go this far, but unfortunately this is how far we have to take it to make rosters safer, its just what we have to do."

The official advice from District Health Boards is to not hesitate to see a doctor if needed.

National DHB Contingency Planner Anne Aitcheson told Bernadine Oliver-Kerby it's vital people still attend their GP or the hospital if there's something wrong.

"It is important if you need healthcare that you get that - we've had situations in the past where particularly older patients have waited at home until the strike is over."

In Wellington, about 570 outpatient appointments have already been deferred, and the Capital and Coast District Health Board said essential services are being prioritised.

The Canterbury District Health Board believes there are ways forward when it comes to the demands faced by junior resident doctors.

CDHB CEO, David Meates said there's already been a huge amount of compromise the their behalf.

"It's been frustrating in terms of not being able to quite find an agreed way to get those remaining issues resolved."

"At the end of the day, it is communities that end up bearing the brunt of this. Those people that have been waiting for surgery, or an out-patient, it's highly disruptive on their lives."

Meates said anyone needing emergency or urgent care will still be able to receive it.

The Canterbury District Health Board said the strike will affect hundreds of outpatient appointments over the next three days.

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