Health NZ thanks hospital staff, contingency planning teams during strike
Health New Zealand's contingency plans "worked well" amid the strike action by senior doctors and dentists on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to its chief executive.
"The impact of the strike varied by hospital. There were no major clinical events and our contingency plans worked well," said chief executive Dale Bramley in a statement.
"I would like to recognise and thank our hospital staff and contingency planning teams for the work they did in the lead-up to and during the strike to ensure the continued delivery of patient care."
More than 13,000 patients are estimated to be affected by the 48-hour strike, according to Health NZ. This includes disruptions to:
- 1,800 elective procedures such as hips, knees, and cataracts
- 3,600 first specialist assessments
- 7,000 follow-up appointments
- 800 outpatient procedures
"New appointments for those patients will be scheduled as soon as possible," Bramley said, adding that more work is on the way as services return to normal.
Strike action from union
Around 6,000 members of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) participated in the strike on September 23 and 24 as they rejected the government's latest pay offer.
Health NZ maintains that its pay package is a "fair and reasonable way forward." It has since asked the Employment Relations Authority to fix the terms and conditions of their collective contract.
"We remain committed to reaching a fair and reasonable settlement. We are engaging with the Employment Relations Authority following our application this week to fix the terms and conditions of the collective agreement," Bramley said.
