Waiting times for non-urgent radiology will increase because
of the 24-hour radiographers' strike, Southern District
Health Board diagnostic and support services Otago general
manager Sonja Dillon says.
Ending at 7am today, the strike, on the back of months of
rolling industrial action, was called in protest at DHBs in
the Auckland area suspending radiographers for taking
industrial action.
The radiographers' union, Apex, is locked in a long-running
pay dispute with District Health Boards New Zealand.
Ms Dillon said about 250 routine radiology patients would
need to be rescheduled because of the strike.
This would increase delays for MRI and CT scans.
At the end of July, the non-urgent MRI waiting time was 33
weeks, while that for non-urgent CT was nine to 12 weeks.
Ms Dillon said it would be helpful if the public could
refrain from seeking non-urgent X-rays today, if possible, to
help manage the backlog.
Of acute cases needing scans, two patients were being managed
until the strike ended, and clinicians were satisfied they
did not require life-preserving services.
The union provided life-preserving cover for four patients in
Dunedin yesterday, Ms Dillon said.
Some cardiac and angiography elective procedures had to be
cancelled.
On the whole, the public had been understanding about the
situation, Ms Dillon said.
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