Health Minister David Clark has declined to comment on costs for junior strike cover while resolution is being sought.
Health Minister David Clark has declined to comment on costs for junior strike cover while resolution is being sought.
Five strikes in 2019 have cost the Hawke's Bay DHB $1.7 million after senior medical officers were paid $395 an hour to cover striking junior doctors paid an hourly average of $51.
The DHB spent $1.7 million paying senior doctors to cover five strikes earlier this year.
On averagea senior doctor was paid $395 per hour to cover a shift.
This is an average of $344 more than a junior doctor would be paid for the same shift.
In documentation provided under the Official Information Act, the DHB stated it was unable to provide the total cost associated with the strikes, as this could not be separated out from normal running costs.
"Many of the senior doctors worked long shifts, putting themselves under additional pressure to minimise the impact on patients and maintain acute and emergency services.
"The effort made by senior doctors to ensure continuous availability of urgent care reflects their commitment to patients, to patient safety and to the community.
"The money paid to senior doctors to cover junior doctors during strike action is contractual and part of an agreement they have with district health boards across the country."
The amount senior doctors were paid during the strikes was not set out by Hawke's Bay DHB, but established in the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Multi Employer Collective Agreement.
The New Zealand Resident Doctors Association (NZRDA) has held five strikes this year, between January 15 and May 3, four two-day strikes and one five-day strike.
The DHBs and NZRDA are currently in facilitation to come to a contractual agreement.
Senior doctors were paid on average $344 more than a junior doctor covering the same shift. Photo / File
Health Minister David Clark was unable to comment due to facilitation currently running between the junior doctors and the DHB.
Spokesperson for the District Health Boards, Peter Bramley , said due to be in a facilitation process with the NZRDA it would inappropriate to comment at this time.
Two weeks ago, Clark told NZME people were missing out on planned care as a result of the junior doctors' strikes, which was why he was urging DHBs and the Resident Doctors' Association to urgently reach a resolution.
"Addressing a decade of underfunding, and the erosion of pay and of conditions for our health workforces is not going to happen in one Budget or a single bargaining round, but we are making progress,'' he said at the time.
"Addressing a decade of underfunding, and the erosion of pay and of conditions for our health workforces is not going to happen in one Budget or a single bargaining round, but we are making progress."
