Chch junior doctors reject direct action

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34012, 28 November 1975, Page 1

Chch junior doctors reject direct action

Christchurch junior doctors have decided not to take any direct action in support of their national association’s claims for better pay and working conditions and longer holidays.

About 50 trainee interns, house surgeons, and registrars decided by a large majority at a meeting yesterday not to go along with junior doctors in Auckland and the Waikato who have banned the treatment of non-urgent patients. Dr J. G. Harris, spokesman for the Canterbury’ branch of the Junior Hospital Medical Officers’ Association, said that it had been decided to let matters rest in the meantime and no action would be taken before the local annual meeting on December 9. The Canterbury association would consider what improvements in conditions it

would like to see and prepare proposals to present to the national association. Thus, the proper established channels would be used rather than direct action, said Dr Harris. Submissions from the national association would be made to the Hospital Medical Officers’ Advisory Committee, the body which normally negotiates the doctors’ pay, on December 16. Dr Gordon Howie, Auckland president of the Junior Hospital Medical Officers’ Association, said he was still hopeful that the Minister of Health (Mr McGuigan) would make an acceptable offer to end the disute, N.Z.P.A. reports. Mr McGuigan has promised to put the doctor’s claims for a 40-hour week

and one week’s extra annual leave before a Cabinet meeting on Monday, although he has said he believes that the approval of overtime payments is outside his jurisdiction.

According to the doctors, their decision to restrict all medical services to acute cases is reducing admissions at Auckland, Middlemore, and Green Lane Hospitals by about 200 .patients a week.