Doctor visits ease pressure on strike-affected hospitals

Thousands of patients took the advice of hospital authorities and went to their doctors instead of hospital emergency rooms yesterday.

The decision eased the pressure on Auckland's four main hospitals as day one of a strike by radiographers led to the postponement of hundreds of surgical procedures and some critical patients being transferred elsewhere.

The 80 radiographers walked off the job yesterday morning at Auckland, National Women's, Starship and Green Lane hospitals on a four-day strike in support of a 10.3 per cent wage claim.

Auckland District Health board has offered 2 per cent, saying with a $61m deficit, that was all it could afford.

The radiographers' union, Apex, responded by reducing its claim to about 6 per cent, although the union refused to be specific about details of its amended stance.

Yesterday emergency patients were diverted to North Shore, Waitakere or Middlemore hospitals but authorities said today patients had considerably eased the pressure by going to their doctors instead of hospital emergency rooms.

Health board spokeswoman Brenda Saunders said the hospitals were coping but every time a critically ill patient was moved to another hospital because the strike had reduced their level of critical care, it increased the risk.

Ms Saunders said it was ludicrous for the union to suggest moving patients was a smokescreen to help the board's case to pay only 2 per cent.

"That is a complete fabrication. Do they honestly believe that a senior clinician would make that sort of decision to move a critically ill patient if they didn't have to?

"They are there to help patients. There is no way they would be doping that. It is a terrible suggestion for them to even make. We absolutely reject that."

- NZPA