UPDATED 2.43PMÂ Medical professionals have begun planning how to best deal with major disruptions to hospital services as many doctors go on strike nationwide later this month.
More than 3,200 out of New Zealand's 3,500 resident doctors will take industrial action for 48 hours starting October 18.
All 20 District Health Boards will be affected by the action, and have been notified.
It comes after four years of talks and 10 months of failed bargaining over work rosters - yesterday it all came to a head at yet another failed meeting.
SEE ALSO: Resident doctors to strike for 48 hours
But the New Zealand Resident Doctors' Association and DHBs have quite different stories.
The association, whose members range from junior house officers through to trainee specialists who've been in the job for over a decade, says it wants DHBs to stop rostering doctors on seven night shifts in a row, and 12 consecutive day shifts.
National Secretary Dr Deborah Powell said while the association's apologetic, they're doing it as much for themselves as they are for patients who're already suffering at the hands of tired health professionals.
"This is a really serious matter from the resident doctors perspective. They don't go to work to put themselves at risk - let alone their patients.
"They're tired, they're fatigued, they're making mistakes and it's got to stop."
But DHB Shared Services says it's committed to changing the rosters, the problem it has is with the association asking for doctors to be paid for days they don't work.
Lead CEO for employment relations work for DHB Shared Services Julie Patterson said it's devastated it's got to this point, but DHBs aren't going to pay for the days not worked.
"If they have two days off in the week that they're going to work the weekend they want to continue to get paid for those two days and the DHBs are not prepared to do that - we don't think that's fair and reasonable."
As far as patient care goes during the 48 hours, she said care will have to be prioritised for different people and hospitals may have to cancel elective services such as operations and patient appointments.
The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists said doctors left in hospitals during the strike will be able to cope.
ASMS Executive Director Ian Powell said New Zealand's more than 4000 specialist doctors who have different agreements with DHBs will be available to work.
He said for patients already admitted to hospital or those admitted during the strike not much will be different - they'll be cared for by either a nurse, or a more senior doctor.
Labour Health Spokesperson David Clark said exhausted doctors forced to work long hours are a symptom of an under-funded health system.
He told Rachel Smalley the old-school approach that just accepted doctors would work grueling hours doesn't sit well in a more complex health system.
"The work is actually getting harder, and this is the case the junior doctors make. They say that it's not like it once was, and working for 12 days in a row with just two days off, and another 12 days in a row does take its toll."
Mr Clark said 1000 doctors last year said they were so tired from working long hours they were worried mistakes had been made on patients.
He said nearly 300 reported they had fallen asleep at the wheel while driving home from long shifts.
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