Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Emergencies the focus during doctors' strike

Rotorua Daily Post
17 Oct, 2016 02:46 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Rotorua Hospital. PHOTO/FILE

Rotorua Hospital. PHOTO/FILE

Rotorua Hospital has postponed more than 50 procedures and several outpatient clinics as it moves to cater for "essential emergency services" during a two-day doctors' strike.

From 7am tomorrow , only urgent cases will be treated at the emergency department at Rotorua Hospital while the strike is under way.

Essential emergency care such as acute surgery, emergency department treatment, intensive care and maternity care will continue to operate but 52 elective procedures and an unknown number of clinic appointments have been postponed.

It is not clear how many of the 75 junior doctors employed at Rotorua Hospital will strike after the union and health boards failed to reach agreement over working hours.

The union says the current rostering system - where resident doctors work rosters including seven nights in a row and 12 days in a row - is unsafe for patients and for doctors.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

However, district health boards said they were disappointed their latest offer was rejected and it would have led to doctors having some of the best working hours in the world.

Lakes District Health Board communications officer Sue Wilkie said Rotorua Hospital was pleased with how its contingency planning had gone, but would probably have liked to reduce the number of inpatients further ahead of the strike.

She said this afternoon the occupancy rate was 79 per cent, although more patients were likely to be discharged later today.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Miss Wilkie said all elective procedures scheduled for the two days of the strike had been rescheduled - generally within the next month.

She said many outpatient clinics needed to be rescheduled or reduced including surgical, orthopaedic, ear nose and throat, medical, gynaecology and specialist antenatal.

"A number of the 75 junior doctors currently employed by Lakes DHB have indicated they are not intending to strike, but we can not be certain of the number until the strike is under way."

She said the hospital was confident with the plans in place.

"A good number of the 90 or so senior doctors across the two hospitals [Rotorua and Taupo] will be providing services to those most in need across the 48 hours of the strike. Some junior doctors who will not be taking industrial action will also be working."

She said some nurses who normally worked in training and professional development had been seconded to help during the strike.

Lakes District Health Board union delegate Dr Tom Reynolds said doctors were reluctant to take strike action but believed it had to be done.

"We were really hopeful we would be able to avoid it."

Dr Reynolds said he wasn't sure how many junior doctors would be striking, as some who had recently arrived from the UK were not taking part.

"Everyone has a sense of resignation . . . a frustration . . . but under that there is some optimism this is one of the few ways we have to see change."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Up until today he said there was still the hope the strike might not go ahead.

While junior doctors would spend the time recovering, he said they also planned to do some non-hospital based volunteer work.

Dr Reynolds said most patients and other staff he had spoken to had been supportive of the action.

He said junior doctors were increasingly being asked what day they were on by patients, who were becoming more aware of the hours they worked.

He said some doctors were being asked by patients whether they had been home or if they had slept.

"It is certainly a bit more noted."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Dr Reynolds said he wasn't aware of any flack junior doctors had been given by colleagues over the action.

"As with any group there are a range of opinions. If perhaps ideologically they don't agree they have kept it to themselves."

Dr Reynolds said he was confident planning in place by the health board was robust and would ensure the safety of patients during the strike.

"We have a really good group of senior doctors. I think most [of the impact] will largely be around the flow. Everyone will still be able to get urgent care."

He said the strike wasn't just about the doctors' own safety, but making changes for future doctors and making sure patients were safe.

The last time Lakes DHB was affected by strike action by junior doctors was in 2008.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

ADVICE TO PATIENTS:

- People unsure whether their appointments or procedures are affected can call 0800 223 647.

- Pregnant women whose specialist antenatal appointment has been changed should contact their lead maternity career immediately if they have concerns. If they can't contact them they should ring the hospital and ask to speak to the birthing unit.

- People should make sure they are up to date with prescriptions and other requirements and make the GP or Lakes Prime Care their first port of call.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM

Mark 'Shark' Hohua died in June 2022 after a violent assault over money.

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP