Hospital Services Reduced As 34 Jobs Go - PSA

The now certain loss of 34 clerical jobs at Health Waikato will significantly reduce in-patient services for the community and mean hospital clinics will be less often and fewer in size, the PSA said today.

The staff - some of whom have been with the hospital more than 20 years - have learned their jobs are for the axe in late March. This was despite indications the cuts would be about half that number, PSA organiser Dianne Donald said.

`This is dramatically worse than we thought and there is real anger with management about the delay in starting the review and the way it is being handled,' she said.

Clerical services will be reduced by at least 15 per cent and work-loads will increase for the remaining clerical staff, and nurses and junior doctors whatever management may say, Ms Donald said.

`Clinics will be cut in size and number. In the longer term staff will be overworked and stressed and the result for the people of the Waikato will be more patients admitted as `acute' cases because they won't have been able to get to a clinic earlier.

`We know there is a lot of feeling in the community about this. We are rallying at lunch time today to fight these cuts and also to let the community show their opposition to reduced services in their hospital,' she said.

`The Waikato public should be aware what their hospital is doing. They are opting to pay redundancy to people who want to work yet we also know that in the middle of next year at least 25 clerical staff will be hired for data input on the hospital's new computer system!

`Perhaps some of our members will be rehired. Where is the sense and where is the prudent management in all this?' Ms Donald asked.

Rally details

What? Rally to fight hospital job cuts and services downgrading

Where? Meeting outside the Bryant Education Centre and marching to the intersection of Lorne and Pembroke Streets

When? Today from 12 noon.

ENDS....

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