Hospital surgery delayed by strike

Photo / Sarah Ivey

Surgery is being cancelled for hundreds of patients at Auckland City Hospital and the adjoining Starship children's hospital from Tuesday in preparation for four days of strikes by radiographers.

The Auckland District Health Board yesterday decided to cancel all elective surgery for at least eight days, meaning 500 patients will have to be rebooked for operations.

That is to clear the wards for a three-day strike by about 130 radiographers from Friday at the two hospitals, to be followed by an unprecedented national walkout by almost 1000 workers on the following Tuesday.

Even though that is for only 24 hours, the health board says it is unable to give any assurances of being able to resume elective surgery the next day.

A strike that radiographers began at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland on Thursday is not due to end until Monday morning.

Patients with other than life-threatening conditions are having to be turned away from accident and emergency departments, with recommendations that they see their general practitioners.

Even seriously ill people are being asked to have x-rays or scans taken at private clinics and to bring these with them to hospital.

Counties Manukau District Health Board general manager of medicine Brad Healey said an agreement with the Association of Professionals and Executive Employees for its radiographer members to perform "life-preserving services" when called upon had been invoked several times since Thursday, without any drama.

That did not mean there were no extra risks, as hospital treatment had been slowed down by the strike.

Even so, he was confident the union would agree to provide extra radiographers to cope with any serious event this weekend, such as a bus crash.

Auckland District Health Board spokesman Mark Fenwick said an agreement had yet to be reached with the union on how many radiographers would be left on standby to take life-preserving x-rays and scans at his organisation's hospitals.

Although the union says its members are in agreement with the health board over a pay rise offer of 1 per cent now, and a further 1 per cent in October, there are several unresolved issues, including a claim for backpay from last October.

Southland union delegate Bernadette Gourley said the national strike by radiographers was over the suspension this week of colleagues by the Counties Manukau and Auckland health boards.

"We are angry at district health board bullying in Auckland, and decided that was not acceptable," she said.

Mr Fenwick said the suspensions were in response to months of industrial action in which radiographers were not performing all their required duties.