642 staff missing from Auckland public hospitals (visual protest)

Silhouettes representing 642 missing Auckland public health workers will be put up outside Auckland City Hospital today.

The number is based on the latest figures from Auckland’s three District Health Boards.

173 doctors, 100 nursing, 220 allied health, 63 support staff and 86 admininstration and management staff were planned for but not employed in the first seven months of the current financial year.

Mental health worker and Public Service Association staff representative Andy Colwell says he hopes the cut-outs show the public how bad understaffing and overwork has become.

"642 missing health workers in seven months is appalling, but it doesn’t even scratch the surface," he says.

"These figures don’t even include understaffing for the past six years due to the Government's $1.7 billion in underfunding."

Mr Colwell says health workers are working harder, longer and often for free because they are so understaffed.

"We often work when we are sick and don’t take holidays because there aren’t enough staff to cover for us and we are exhausted," he says.

Mr Colwell says he isn’t surprised allied health is the largest under-staffed group in Auckland in this year’s budget but was surprised 92% of all the country's under-staffing was in Auckland.

ENDS

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