Doctors ask for 'real movement' from govt on better pay, work conditions

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists has called for "real movement" from the government as health workers suffer from burnout and anxiety from the Omicron variant. Sarah Dalton, executive director of the association, said that their members are growing frustrated and angry as employers have little interest in improving their pay and working conditions.

"Particularly remuneration and recovery times for people who are working antisocial hours, working over nights and over weekends, which is particularly demanding for emergency doctors and those working in acute settings, where people are very ill and need to be treated immediately," Dalton said as quoted by Radio New Zealand.

According to Dalton, they are not feeling the "engagement" from employers and the government when they say they value healthcare workers.

"Words just aren't enough at this time, we need to see some real movement," she said.

Dalton stressed that this time of the year is already busy with influx of patients stemming from the holiday season, and some of their needs are already not being met - a situation even worsened by the pandemic. In addition, healthcare workers are also under strained conditions, with members growing "extremely concerned" if the Omicron variant of COVID-19 becomes prevalent across the country.

This could mean that patients, COVID and non-COVID ones, could miss out on getting the care they deserve, according to Dalton.

Read more: New Zealand's healthcare staff, teachers and tradies most dissatisfied workers: study

The executive director then warned that the situation is pushing more health workers to leave the country and find other opportunities overseas once the borders reopen.

The Ministry of Health, in a response published on Radio New Zealand, said it already met with the association to discuss the "stresses in the system."

The ministry said it understood the anxiety suffered by health workers and are already formulating initiatives to upskill the workforce.

In addition, plans for international and local recruitment campaign for nurses are also underway this year, along with "further progress" across all the pay equity claims.