Doctors want cut in hours

Press, 8 February 1985, Page 5

Doctors want cut in hours

Many people think of doctors as a group who enjoy reasonable working conditions for the high fees they earn.

Yet young doctors resident in hospitals put in hours that most workers would consider intolerable. New Zealand’s 1300 resident doctors average 70 to 80 hours a week — some work up to 104 hours — and the organisation that represents them plans to do something about it.

Dr Erihana Ryan, the newly elected president of the New Zealand Resident Medical Officers' Association, said yesterday that the association planned to appoint a full-time professional advocate to lobby for better working conditions.

About 60 delegates are attending the association’s conference in Christchurch, and will be addressed today by the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett.

Dr Ryan said that many house surgeons were on call one evening in two, and one week-end in two. This could mean their working 13 days at a stretch. They got only 20 working days holiday a year, in spite of shift work.

“Other workers get extra leave for being on shifts," she said.

The retiring president, Dr Murray Wiggans, said the only way the doctors’ association could become politically effective was to employ an experienced advocate. The doctors were

being advised by the Police Association on how to set up the position. Employing an advocate would mean doctors having to pay $lOO a year to be members of the association instead of $2O, although both Dr Wiggans and Dr Ryan said the improved working conditions they would obtain would offset this.

The young doctors are not as concerned about pay, although they want to maintain relativity with their seniors.

“Our most important priority is to go for a 60hour week,” said Dr Ryan. About 60 per cent of eligible doctors are members of the association, and Dr Ryan said another priority was to obtain full mem-

bership. Education and communication to members of the association’s work were also important.