Controversy over pay rates for Otago and Southland senior doctors during today's strike abated yesterday afternoon when the union and the district health boards' chief executive, Brian Rousseau, reached agreement.
Mr Rousseau maintained his position of not unilaterally offering the recommended national rates, which range from $250 to $500 an hour, but has agreed to pay them if senior doctors request them.
Both he and Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) executive director Ian Powell, who last week had been critical of Mr Rousseau's reluctance to pay the national rates, described the solution as a pragmatic outcome.
If agreement had not been possible it would not have stopped the senior doctors turning up for extra duties during the junior doctors' 48-hour walk-off, which is due to start at 7am today.
Neither party was prepared to divulge Mr Rousseau's alternative rate.
Mr Rousseau said Otago and Southland faced real funding challenges and he thought that was recognised by the ASMS.
Otago was in a bad position because traditionally it had been overfunded according to the population-based funding formula which now applies.
Southland was faced with large annual capital charges related to its new hospital.
''Nobody likes strikes. The sooner we can get some resolution the better for everybody.''
Dunedin ASMS representative Dr Chris Wisely described the resolution of the rates as reasonable.
Doctors who felt their duties warranted the higher rate could choose it if they wanted. There was also some provision made for doctors to donate the money to a staff education fund if they
wished.
During the strike, over the breakdown in the pay talks between the boards and the junior doctors, limited services will be available at both Wakari and Dunedin hospitals where possibly only about 15% of junior doctors will be on the job.
Otago District Health Board operations manager Megan Boivin said it was difficult to say how many of the more than 170 juniors would be off work because as well as non-union members, some union members had turned up to work during past strikes.
Elective surgery has been postponed during the strike and will not be back to normal until next week.
Acute surgery will be available as needed. The hospital is advising people to seek medical treatment from their general practitioner or the Dunedin Urgent Doctors and Accident Centre
during the strike unless they need emergency treatment.
Under an agreement with the union, junior doctors can be brought in for life-preserving cover if needed.
Services for women giving birth at Dunedin Hospital will not be reduced during the strike.
Most babies are delivered by midwives, but assistance by obstetricians and paediatricians will be available as needed.
Dunedin representative of the junior doctors' union, the New Zealand Resident Doctors Association, Dr Logan Mitchell, said last night he was disappointed that after almost a year of negotiations a settlement was not near.
He said junior doctors felt they had done all they could to avoid taking action.
