Tony Ryall MP
National Party Health Spokesman

27 June 2007

Leaked paper says doctor crisis will worsen

National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall says a leaked district health board document shows growing alarm about a crisis in the number of junior doctors staffing our hospitals.

"The Government is in denial about the seriousness of the situation. In the past week, doctors have been saying patient safety is being put at risk because of the staffing crisis. Yet, at the same time the Minister is saying the shortage won't get any worse.

"But the documents I have released today show that district health boards are deeply worried about the shortage and their ability to recruit quality candidates. If there's no crisis why are hospitals preparing doctor shortage contingency plans?

"This shows Labour's complete neglect of the health workforce crisis. If the Government can't staff our hospitals, then patients will have to wait even longer to get care."

Mr Ryall says the concerns are raised in the Medical Workforce Strategy Group's Recruitment Proposal for Temporary Recruitment of UK Graduates and NZ overseas graduates wishing to return home.

The papers say 'some hospitals are facing vacancy rates of 30-50% in the fourth quarter of 2007'. They confirm that 'New Zealand is currently facing a huge shortage of junior doctors which has been gradually increasing over the last seven years'.

The papers also reveal that 'Auckland Hospitals had vacancy rates from 18.1% - 22.9% for house officers in the third quarter' and say 'predictions for fourth quarter vacancies approach 40-50% and these numbers are mirrored in some hospitals throughout New Zealand'.

Mr Ryall says those comments contradict the acting Health Minister's claim this week that, 'the three Auckland district health boards have house officer vacancies ... estimated at less than 2 percent, which represents seven doctors over three district health boards. I am also advised that it is not expected that the overall shortage will worsen in the next quarter'.

"This Labour Government is totally blind to the mess that it has allowed to develop in our hospitals and within our wider health service. Labour's answer to the junior doctor crisis is 'what crisis?'. If real patients start paying the price for the seven-year slide in junior doctor numbers, it'll be much harder to deny."

ENDS

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