Doctors quitting Coast jobs over contract dispute #smoqld #qldpol #keepourdoctors
DOCTORS are reported to be already leaving Nambour General Hospital amid a government-induced crisis that threatens to cripple the health system.
A reliable source at the hospital said 20% of anesthetists had left since the contracts debacle started in January, and the “entire respiratory and gastro department” was threatening to walk out.
Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service chief executive Kevin Hegarty said he was recruiting anesthetists.
However, he said the health service had not received an indication this was in relation to the medical contracts issue.
At least 70 doctors used their lunch hour to rally outside Nambour hospital yesterday.
All indicated they would not sign the contracts that Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has reiterated he would not negotiate.
One of the Sunshine Coast’s two public child psychiatrists, Chris Lilley, and the only developmental and behavioural physician, Heidi Webster, are among those determined not to sign.
Dr Lilley said his remaining colleague would not budge, either.
Pedetricians, emergency-care specialists and anesthetists were among the doctors rallying outside the hospital front door.
Mr Springborg appears to remain in denial that his contracts are the cause of the problem, claiming doctors had been consulted months before and they would be “better off” once they signed.
His spokesman said the lengthy process of negotiation – 33 meetings over six months – was complete and would not be reopened.
“There will be an opportunity for HHSs, doctors and their representatives to deal with subsidiary matters as individual contracts are completed,” he said.
Anesthetist Alan Millard said doctors were concerned about signing the contracts because of a few key issues: the ability for Queensland Health to dismiss doctors without cause, undefined key performance indicators, and the ability for working conditions to be “unilaterally altered”.
Dr Millard stressed that doctors “want to stay here and serve the community” but they were unable to accept the Health Minister’s terms.
Dr Millard said while he also had to “feed my family”, he was already “looking elsewhere”.
And when he asked for a show of hands, all of his colleagues indicated they were doing the same.
Dr Webster said she was not interested in politics and had never been the kind of person to join in rallies, but she felt passionate about the issue.
“If I leave, or the child psychiatrists, where are they going to find people to replace us?” she asked.
James Douglas, from the Together Union, said doctors were joining in similar rallies across the state.
Penny Graff, the mother of a child with cerebral palsy, was walking past the rally.
She said she was concerned about the issue as doctors had provided her daughter with wonderful support for 15 years.
Source: Sunshine Coast Daily