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Junior Doctors second strike will - once again - significantly limit hospital services (May 7th to 9th 2008)
Hospital services in this district will once again be significantly limited this week, as a result of further strike action by Registered Medical Officers (RMOs) who are members of the Resident Doctor’s Association.
The doctors, who walked off the job for two days in April, will do so once again this week – with a complete withdrawal of services from 7am on Wednesday 7 May until 8am on Friday 9 May.
“We sincerely regret the inconvenience these two strikes have caused for the thousands of people in this district who have had outpatient appointments and surgeries postponed,” C&C DHB’s chief operating officer Martin Hefford said.
“The reality is that this is a nationwide situation, and we cannot conduct business-as-usual when more than 250 doctors are missing from the hospitals which C&C DHB run. As a result a number of outpatient and elective services, including elective surgery, which were scheduled to occur over the next few days have been postponed. Deferring those services will allow us to focus our remaining resources on patients requiring emergency and urgent treatment.
“Patient safety is our number one focus, and we appreciate the willingness of senior doctors, nurses and other health professionals to work long hours during this difficult time to help ensure patients remain safe.”
One of the hardest hit services is the Emergency Department at Wellington Hospital, which will be forced to cope with less than half the usual number of doctors.
“We really can’t emphasise strongly enough that the Emergency Department at Wellington Hospital is for emergencies, and that people with a lesser ailment which they feel could be adequately addressed by their GP should go to their GP.
“If it’s an emergency then, as always, people should pick up the phone and call an ambulance - dial 111. But for those who are unsure as to whether or not they need Emergency Department care, they should call Healthline toll-free on 0800-611-116 for free advice from a registered nurse.
“People with low priority ailments who present at our ED during the time of this strike will overload our ED, and are likely to experience significantly longer waits before they are seen by doctors.
“We appreciate the public’s understanding and patience during this difficult time,” Martin Hefford said.
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