Doctors to rally outside Nambour Hospital over contracts

0
88

Doctors to rally outside #Nambour Hospital over contracts #keepourdoctors

SENIOR doctors will rally outside Nambour General Hospital tomorrow over Queenland Health’s proposed new contracts.

Anaesthetist David Wright said 40 to 50 doctors from the hospital had also “reaffirmed their complete opposition to signing contracts” at a meeting held last week.

“Many doctors will be leaving Queensland Health beyond June,” Dr Wright said.

“Those that stay will be disgruntled, unhappy employees unless their contracts are renegotiated.”

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has been standing firm.

Dr Wright said the medical community was hoping Mr Springborg’s colleagues would put pressure on him to reconsider.

“LNP members across the Coast have received a deluge of emails from doctors,” he said.

A doctor who has delivered more than 5000 babies on the Sunshine Coast has also spoken out against the “grossly unfair” new contracts.

Dr Jeff Tarr, who worked for Queensland Health for 25 years as an obstetrician and gynaecologist, has a private practice at Sunshine Coast Private Hospital in Buderim.

Even though Dr Tarr is no longer affected by the decisions Queensland Health makes, he said he could not ignore the effect the issue was having on his colleagues.

“I have never seen anything like this,” he said.

“It is extreme bullyboy tactics.”

He warned services on the Sunshine Coast would be severely affected if Mr Springborg did not compromise.

“It is bad enough as it is, if a few other doctors leave,” he said.

“I’ve been talking to a couple of my colleagues; it is a real, real mess,” Dr Tarr said.

Australian Medical Association president Steve Hambleton said the Australian Society for Emergency Medicine had advised members to defer working in Queensland until the issue was resolved.

The same warning has been sent from the Society of Anaesthetists.

Source: The Courier Mail