Strikes harm patients - Bunton

Health sector industrial disputes need to be resolved by compulsory arbitration, as rolling strikes by radiographers are harming patients, Southern District Health Board Otago chief medical officer Richard Bunton says.

Routine scan waiting times had "blown out", putting patients at potential harm if a cancer or other life-threatening condition was not caught early in the piece, he said.

Elective surgery was also suffering.

Mr Bunton was not aware of any individual cases where patients' treatment had been compromised in the South.

While life- and limb-preserving cover was mandatory, the interpretation of which situations were eligible relied on clinicians' judgement. Mr Bunton said health workers should be covered by arbitration like police. The general public would agree their services were essential.

Last week, the Otago Daily Times reported the number of routine mammograms performed in the South had been reduced by a third, with nearly 1000 being postponed.

The dispute between District Health Boards New Zealand and the radiographers and lab workers' union, Apex, took another turn this week when the DHBs withdrew an offer after the union failed to accept it.

Supported by DHBNZ, chief medical officers issued a joint statement calling on the Government to review the right of health workers to strike and introduce compulsory arbitration.

There had been instances of individual harm arising from the strike action and "collective harm" from delayed diagnostic work.

"We are also concerned that a culture of strike normalisation is developing, with the erosion of safety and quality for which we have been striving."

The legislation guaranteeing life- and limb-preserving cover had not been "fully effective" in reducing harm, especially when it was used to sustain months of industrial action.