Hospitals brace for big rush as radiographer strike ends

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

Auckland hospitals are braced for a rush of new admissions this weekend after a four-day strike by radiographers ends at 7am today.

Doctors believe some patients may have been toughing it out at home with injuries such as sprains, ready to turn up at hospitals for treatment as soon as the radiographers return.

They are particularly concerned about elderly people, who Auckland District Health Board chief medical officer Dr David Sage said tended to go out of their way to avoid being "a bother".

Auckland Hospital will perform more than its usual amount of Sunday surgery to give breathing space to Middlemore Hospital in Otahuhu, which has taken most of the region's acutely ill or injured patients during the strike.

The Counties-Manukau District Health Board faces a strike by its own radiographers overnight on November 18, and Dr Sage said it now needed help clearing a backlog of surgery caused by an extra 60 or so patients who would normally have gone to Auckland.

Dr Sage said public co-operation and good luck combined to give an unusually quiet week with no major accidents.

Surgical units at the four Auckland board hospitals ran at less than a quarter of normal capacity.

He denied an accusation by the radiographers' union that the board had indulged in "shroud-waving" before the strike by warning of a potential disaster from the virtual closure of some of the country's largest hospitals.

Association of Professional and Executive Employees secretary Dr Deborah Powell said a union member made available from the 80 striking radiographers for emergencies was called out for only two CT scans.



The radiographers have given notice of another walkout for 48 hours from November 14 if their claims are not satisfied at renewed talks next week.



Dr Sage said that although fewer than 10 critically ill patients had to be moved to centres such as Christchurch and Hamilton, there was always some risk in doing so and medical staff were "quite distressed about this".

"There is a view in the health system that there should be compulsory arbitration and no right to strike," he said.

He acknowledged that the board had turned down a union proposal this week for arbitration as an alternative to a 10.3 per cent pay rise claim.



Board spokeswoman Brenda Saunders said arbitration was refused because of concerns that other health workers would demand whatever might be awarded to radiographers, compromising a 2 per cent Government cap on cost rises in deficit-ridden hospital boards such as Auckland.

Further reading
Feature: Our sick hospitals