On The Doctors Strike
About 5,500 doctors held a 24-hour nationwide strike in New Zealand on May 1 in protest against a pay offer of just 1.5 percent, spread over two years. This would be a major pay cut in real terms, with annual inflation at 2.6 percent for the year to March.
It was the first ever full-day strike by senior doctors in the country's public hospitals, called by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). It follows strikes last year by thousands of junior doctors and by tens of thousands of nurses, and repeated strikes this year by medical laboratory workers.
The doctors' strike coincided with strikes by 370 perioperative nurses at Auckland City Hospital, in protest over understaffing, and by nearly 1,000 home support workers employed by Access Community Health, who have received no pay increase for nearly two years. The unions involved—the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and the Public Service Association (PSA)—limited these strikes to just two hours.
These actions reflect widespread opposition to the right-wing National Party-led coalition government's intensifying assault on the public health system.
The day before the doctors' strike, Health NZ confirmed that it has axed 540 jobs from its IT department, reducing its staffing by about a third. This will place further pressure on public hospitals' antiquated computer systems.
Hospitals are being instructed to find hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings and are leaving vacant positions unfilled. According to the ASMS, the vacancy rate for senior medical officers across the country is 12 percent, but in some areas it is more than 40 percent.
Health Minister Simeon Brown said he was 'disappointed' with the strike. He cynically told the media that 'an estimated 4,300 procedures such as hip operations, knee operations, cataract removals and critical specialist assessments would be delayed as a result of this strike.'
In fact, the austerity measures imposed by his government—and the previous Labour Party-led government—have produced the crisis of unmet need. According to Newsroom, 'The waitlist for elective procedures sat at 76,677 at the end of September, with 30,173 waiting for more than four months and 2,159 waiting for more than a year.'
One News reported that 200,000 people are currently waiting to receive a specialist assessment, with long wait times often leading to serious harm. Doctor Allan Moffitt told the outlet: 'I have a patient who had cancer and I could tell that it was a serious type of cancer. Her referral took over six months to be seen.'
Emergency departments are frequently filled above capacity, resulting in significant delays for urgent cases. Newsroom reports that data for 2024 shows ambulances 'waited 35 minutes, on average, to hand patients over to hospitals.'
One doctor wrote in the r/newzealand Reddit forum that, for them, the strike was 'about retaining colleagues so that work isn't utter misery. We are haemorrhaging specialists at our hospital, and with each resignation, there's more strain on those who stay.'
Striking Wellington physician Andrew Davies told Radio NZ the staffing crisis was the major issue: 'We've got vacant jobs that we're not allowed to advertise. It's lies that they're not getting rid of front-line staff.'
In response to the crisis, the government is outsourcing thousands of procedures to private hospitals, further undermining the public system and paving the way for privatisation.
More budget cuts are being prepared. Finance Minister Nicola Willis revealed on April 29 that in response to the deteriorating economic outlook—the US trade war targeting China could trigger a global recession—the government will slash new spending in this year's budget from the previously announced $NZ2.4 billion to just $1.3 billion.
This will be the smallest spending increase in a decade. Treasury officials previously stated that $2.5 billion in new spending was the minimum required just to meet the growing cost of delivering services.
The opposition Labour Party's criticism of the government's cuts is thoroughly hypocritical. The previous Labour-led government oversaw a worsening crisis in the health system, including expanding waiting times for surgery and an effective wage freeze, which prompted strikes by nurses, midwives, doctors and other workers. Labour's decision in 2022 to remove all restrictions on the spread of COVID-19 led to thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of hospitalisations, placing extraordinary pressure on hospitals.
Labour supports the government's plan to double military spending from 1 to 2 percent of gross domestic product, which will be funded at the expense of health, education and other essential programs. The government has pledged an extra $12 billion for defence over four years to further integrate New Zealand into US-led imperialist war plans.
Workers also confront a trade union bureaucracy that is enforcing government cuts and preventing an effective, unified struggle against austerity. The various health unions have ensured that different sections of workers remain isolated from each other, with strikes limited to a day or less.
It has been more than five months since more than 30,000 nurses struck after rejecting a 1.5 percent pay offer, with the dispute still unresolved. The NZNO is seeking to wear down its members and persuade them to accept a sellout.
The PSA is demanding that even more money be spent on the military, while the union collaborates in imposing redundancies across multiple government departments.
The ASMS returned to negotiations with Health NZ the day after the doctors' strike. The government agency has requested facilitated bargaining by the Employment Relations Authority.
The union's Sarah Dalton signalled that the union leadership is backing away from its claim for a 12 percent pay increase. She told the New Zealand Herald: 'It may not be that we achieve 12 percent, but if we can't achieve better than what is on offer at the moment, we will not be able to settle this.'
The Socialist Equality Group warns that a sellout is being prepared. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers can only fight back against the government's cuts and privatisation plans if they take matters out of the hands of the union bureaucracy. Rank-and-file committees, controlled by workers themselves, should be established in every hospital to coordinate their struggle.
The crisis in the health system also raises the need for a socialist political perspective. Workers must reject the fraud that well-funded, properly staffed and freely available public healthcare is 'unaffordable' and that they have to be 'realistic' and accept pay cuts.
The billions of dollars hoarded by the super-rich should be used to vastly expand the public health system and put an end to poverty and inequality. Workers must also demand an end to military spending, with the money redirected into health and other vital social programs.
By Tom Peters, Socialist Equality Group
3 May 2025
Original url:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/05/03/gsic-m03.html
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Health plan doubts
Anyone ploughing through the 85-page New Zealand Health Plan document might wonder if the wait was worth it. The lack of detail and some of the disconnection between it and planned amendments to existing health law, and other actions already taken or signalled by the government, are among the issues. There is also the thorny question of whether it can do what it says it will. According to Health Minister Simeon Brown, the plan, covering financial years from 2024 to 2027, outlines how Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora will deliver on the government's health priorities. But Auditor-general (AG) John Ryan, who, under existing law, must audit the costed plan before it goes to the minister, could not give it a green light. He was unable to form an opinion on whether the plan provided a reasonable basis for delivering publicly funded health services to achieve desired improvements in health or gave reasonable effect to the Government Policy Statement on Health. Mr Ryan said the plan did not provide a clear explanation of how the actions intended to improve aspects of the health system had been selected and prioritised, and how they would contribute to the achievement of the desired improvements and targets. Health New Zealand said the plan was indicative of the level of maturity of the organisation and not costed to the level of traceability and integration between the financials, activities and desired improvements from a fully mature plan. The government plans to do away with the requirement for the AG to audit the plan, and its delivery. This move is included in the wide-ranging Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill, submissions on which close today. Mr Brown says removing requirements for auditing the plan pre- and post-delivery aligns HNZ with other crown entities. The organisation would still have its annual financial statements and statement of performance audited by the AG. While we understand there might be concern such an audit before the plan becomes public may be time-consuming, it is hard not to see this removal of specific scrutiny of the plan altogether is more about avoiding criticism rather than ensuring greater transparency and accountability. It is not the only time recently the Auditor-general's office has been critical of health plans. We have already written of the AG's concerns about whether the government's push for more planned surgery to the private sector may result in patients with complex issues, not suited for such referral, waiting longer than they otherwise might have. As the office pointed out at the health select committee last week, faster care did not necessarily mean more equitable care. It is still not clear how HNZ plans to ensure its plans do not exacerbate inequity, which should include looking at unmet need. The health plan has some clangers in it which do not align with the current government position. In the section on improving timely access to primary and community care, it says "we are resolving pay equity claims and improving nursing recruitment and retention by ensuring there is consistency in nurses' pay". That would have been a surprise to those in the sector who still do not have pay parity with their colleagues in HNZ and whose pay equity claims were scuppered after the government's ambush law changes earlier this year. Public health advocates may have been buoyed by the statement "we aim to reduce the availability and social acceptance of alcohol" in the section on modifiable risk factors, along with reference to strengthening compliance and regulatory approaches in this area. However, recent RNZ reporting showed initial plans to reduce off-licence sale hours now appear to be off the table nationally, and there will be an emphasis on reducing red tape for alcohol retailers to make life easier for them. Hard on the heels of the release of the health plan came another damning report about the health post-code lottery, this time for the treatment of heart disease, the biggest single cause of death in New Zealand. It was another illustration of how much work the government has to do to convince the public it has a cohesive plan for an equitable health system.
Scoop
6 hours ago
- Scoop
Faster, More Accurate Brain Tumour Diagnoses For Kiwis
Minister of Health More than 100 New Zealanders have already benefited from a groundbreaking diagnostic tool that is delivering faster, more accurate brain tumour diagnoses, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. DNA methylation profiling, the international gold standard for diagnosing brain tumours, has been rolled out at Auckland City Hospital over the past year. 'This technology is a game-changer for brain tumour diagnosis in New Zealand. It enables doctors to pinpoint the exact tumour type with greater precision and in less time, meaning patients can start the right treatment sooner,' Mr Brown says. 'Until now, diagnosis was typically made by microscopic examination. In some complex cases, samples were sent overseas for methylation profiling, but that could take up to six weeks. 'Having this cutting-edge capability in New Zealand means more Kiwi patients can access this advanced diagnostic technology locally. Turnaround times are faster, around four weeks, and quicker for urgent cases. 'It also means we can prioritise urgent cases, deliver answers sooner, and give patients and their families greater certainty.' In some recent cases done locally, methylation profiling has significantly altered the initial diagnosis. In others, it has identified rare or unexpected tumour types that may have been missed using traditional methods. The Auckland-based service is one of only three in Australasia, with samples from hospitals around the country also being sent to Auckland for analysis. Along with improving access and outcomes for patients, it is also significantly cheaper than sending samples offshore. 'Delivering faster access to cancer treatment is a key focus for the Government, which is why it is one of our five national health targets. Faster, more accurate diagnosis for brain tumours that may be cancerous is a vital part of that. 'By providing local access to the world's best diagnostic tools, we are improving outcomes for New Zealanders,' Mr Brown says.
Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
Cutting-Edge Healthcare Technology To Showcase In Heart Of South Auckland
NZ's medical technology innovation hub, Medtech-iQ Aotearoa holding showcase in heart of South Auckland. New Zealand's medical technology innovation hub, Medtech-iQ Aotearoa will hold an inaugural showcase in the heart of South Auckland this month. MedTech Explorer will be an interactive showcase of MedTech innovations - from life-saving medical devices and AI-powered diagnostics, to wearable health tech and digital solutions shaping the future of healthcare. The event will bring researchers, innovators and experts together with cutting-edge healthcare technology alongside South Auckland communities. Open to the public with free admission, the event will be held at the Fale in Māngere on 28 August. University of Auckland's Strategic Partnership Lead of Auckland Bioengineering Institute Dr Diana Siew, co-leads the national Te Titoki Mataora | Medtech Research Translator programme, the foundation of Medtech-iQ Aotearoa. She also chairs the national stewardship group of Medtech-iQ Aotearoa. Her vision is to develop capability in NZ to create new medical technologies with a focus on health and equity. She aims for the Fale showcase to inspire young Pacific people and entrepreneurs to participate in the sector, highlighting opportunities for high-value jobs, supporting Pacific community health and encouraging the start of their own tech businesses. "It's important to meet the Pacific community in the heart of their neighbourhood. This is a such a wonderful opportunity to introduce Pacific youth to the wonders of the latest technology meeting the urgent demands of the health sector. 'This event offers the community a unique look up-close, to not only learn the latest techniques and equipment available, but also to showcase to our young people possible career pathways about making a real difference to the lives of whānau and friends in their communities." Moana Connect, a Pacific-led organisation based in Mangere, South Auckland is one of several partners delivering the inaugural showcase. Dr Amio Matenga-Ikihele a general manager at Moana Connect, co-leads the Pacific module within Te Titoki Mataora | Medtech Research. She's also an Honorary Lecturer in Pacific Health with the University's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. "We're excited to welcome our Pacific communities to this inaugural MedTech showcase. This event is about connection - bringing together Pacific communities, health providers, clinicians and innovators to experience first-hand the innovations shaping medical technology. 'We're also delighted students from local high schools will be attending, as it's a chance to inspire them with potential career pathways in medical technology and to highlight the many possibilities this field offers.' Soteria Ieremia is also a co-lead Pacific for Te Titoki Mataora | Medtech Research, and a sponsor and collaborator with her roles in Pacific-i and Pūtahi Manawa. She says the event was a powerful initiative for the community and the showcase will leave a lasting impression on Pacific youth. "This is a great opportunity to meet the Pacific community where they are and introduce our Pacific youth to the many possibilities of where technology meets health. 'Our Pacific people are natural innovators, their ability to navigate the Moana with technology over the past millennia is evidence of this."
