Bosses Should Not Dither; Senior Doctors Tired

ATTENTION: HEALTH REPORTER NO. OF PAGES: 1

MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
THURSDAY 31 AUGUST 2000

“HOSPITAL BOSSES SHOULD NOT DITHER; SENIOR DOCTORS TIRED”

“Hospital bosses should not dither over ratifying the proposed settlement of the junior doctor’s industrial dispute,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today.

Mr Powell was responding to public hospital chief executives delaying their decision until Friday about whether to ratify the proposed settlement of the collective contract negotiations with resident doctors.

“It is senior doctors, not chief executives, who will carry the can for this prolonged dispute should the bitter dispute continue. The patience of senior doctors is wearing thin in a dispute between other parties in which they are the meat in the sandwich and they are getting tired.”

“If hospital chief executives cause this dreadful dispute to keep going perhaps they should be made to stay up all night emptying bed pans and assisting their senior doctors,” concluded Mr Powell.

Ian Powell

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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