Health heads hold breath

By FRANCESCA MOLD and ANGELA GREGORY

The heads of Auckland's public hospitals are expected to learn today whether hundreds of the region's junior doctors are prepared to strike over claims for a pay rise.

About 770 junior doctors working for the region's three hospital and health services have met union representatives to discuss their employers' latest offer.

A meeting between the union and heads of Auckland Healthcare, Waitemata Health and South Auckland Health was scheduled to begin this morning to discuss the response from junior doctors.

Union delegate and Starship paediatric registrar Dr Jacob Twiss said doctors had voted on whether to accept or reject an offer similar to that offered to colleagues in other parts of the country, although slightly less overall.

"Basically, people voted yesterday whether they thought the current offer would go any way towards addressing the shortages and recruitment and retention issues," said Dr Twiss.

He did not want to reveal the outcome of the vote before today's meeting.

Junior doctors in other parts of the country have been offered a 5 per cent increase in the first year and 4 per cent in the second. They are asking for a 20 per cent pay rise.

Managers and specialists at Whangarei Area Hospital, where 38 of the 45 junior doctors began a week-long strike yesterday, say industrial action by Auckland doctors would cause chaos.

Northland Health spokesman Luke Worth said the prospect of Auckland junior doctors walking out was a huge concern.

"Our major worry is if it goes on to a national strike and we get issued with another notice we will get hit twice," he said.

Dr Tony Nixon, chairman of senior medical staff at Whangarei Hospital, said an Auckland strike would cause terrible problems. He did not support strike action but was sympathetic to the junior doctors' plight.

He said about 60 senior doctors at Whangarei coped well with their extra duties yesterday.

"They have been put on special rosters. I have seen some scurrying around the hospital, but they seem to be coping."

Mr Worth said he had heard of only one complaint relating to the industrial action, from a woman whose elective surgery was postponed.

"For the patients who have been waiting for their operations for a while it is an inconvenience. But they also realise it is only a postponement."