Election 2011: Doctors and nurses doubt staff increase

Health Minister Tony Ryall. Photo / Getty Images

Health unionists say the National Government's assertions of big increases in the number of nurses and doctors don't square with what they see on the wards of public hospitals.

Health Minister Tony Ryall said that from November 2008 to April this year, the number of fulltime equivalent (FTE) doctors at district health boards increased by 14 per cent, to 6752.

The number of FTE nurses rose by 11 per cent, to 23,084.

But medical and nursing unions - and Labour health spokesman Grant Robertson - have questioned the figures.

NZ Nurses Organisation industrial adviser Lesley Harry said members had not seen any evidence of the extra nurses.

"NZNO members in public hospitals report to us on a daily basis that they are short-staffed and under-resourced."

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell said: "Senior doctors simply don't know where these alleged doctors are.

"You would have thought that if there were so many more doctors someone at the frontline would have noticed. Are these doctors ghosts or cardboard cutouts?"

Mr Powell said yesterday a more realistic tally was provided by district health boards' head-counts - as opposed to FTEs - on membership of the union's national collective employment agreement. This had risen by 271 in the two years to July. It was unlikely the balance of the Government's claimed increase was made up of an increase in house officers and registrars.

He said this calculation was backed by Medical Council data showing an increase, in the two years to March, of 378 registered specialists, of whom around 350 would be employed by DHBs.

But Mr Ryall dismissed the questioning as to be expected from the "Government's opponents" and said he was confident of the accuracy of his figures.

He said the doctor figures were supported by Medical Council data showing an increase of 950 registered doctors since 2008.

"You can't get a 22 per cent increase in elective surgery production and faster emergency departments without some increase in doctors."