4 October 2016

Green Party supports junior doctors

Our hospitals shouldn’t have to rely on doctors working excessively long hours in order to function, the Green Party said today.

“We support the junior doctors’ calls for more realistic working hours,” said Green Party workplace relations spokesperson Denise Roche.

“We’ve heard from the doctors themselves that burnout is a huge issue for them, and that patients’ care could be compromised because of it.

“When medical professionals are telling us that they’re reaching breaking point, DHBs and the Government need to listen.

“We can’t expect doctors to do the best job they can after working 12 long days in a row.

“More than a third of junior doctors say being overworked for long hours has led them to make a mistake, and one in 10 have fallen asleep at the wheel on the way home after work.

“This comes back to the National Government not funding healthcare properly – we’ve seen cuts of $1.7 billion in real terms to the health budget over the last five years.

“The Government needs to ensure adequate funding for hospitals so that doctors and other healthcare staff are not too exhausted to provide the excellent service all New Zealanders deserve,” said Ms Roche.

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