The Labtests Auckland Fiasco was just the Beginning

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:49:33 GMT

I don't know whether it's because the government isn't allocating them enough money, but the DHBs are hard at work attempting to dismantle the healthcare system in this country, by refusing to increase funds where necessary, or even by attempting to cut expenses despite the fact that the increasing cost of living and the increasing percentage of aging New Zealand Baby Boomers are chiefly responsible for the increase in costs.

First the DHBs attempted to disenfranchise the junior doctors (residents), so that they could be subjected to slave labor conditions. Why wouldn't junior doctors want non-medical people changing their hours and working conditions without any input from the very people those decisions will affect?

Then the Auckland DHBs ditched long-time, cost-efficient pathology provider Diagnostic Medlab for the nonexistent company Labtests Auckland, which just happened to be owned by one of the members of the Auckland DHB, Tony Bierre. Labtests Auckland, which had no facilities, equipment or staff, had the goal of employing a little more than half as many personnel, to do the same amount of work. Gee, why don't DML's pathologists and Lab staff want to accept less pay for doing twice the work for Labtests? Labtests Auckland certainly can't figure it out.

Then the radiographers got the pinch.

Then the senior doctors got the scroogie.

Now the DHBs are trying to squeeze their own laboratory workers.

Of course, the DHBs are trying to paint this as a bunch of greedy medical workers trying to screw the public so that they can be even richer, despite the fact that New Zealand's rate of pay for healthcare workers is the lowest in any developed nation in the world.

New Zealand's level of healthcare providers is already well below Australia's — and Australia considers its staffing to be at crisis level! What's needed here is a national strategy for the healthcare system, instead of leaving a bunch of regional DHBs — composed of mostly non-medical personnel — to flounder about, butchering the healthcare system by awarding contracts to a nonexistent company like Labtests.

Instead of trying to screw our healthcare workers, how about trying to figure out how to create additional funding for the increasing healthcare needs of an increasingly aging population???

Addendum, December:
Here's the latest unbelievable news:

Parliament has awarded themselves hefty wage increases — higher than the cost-of-living increase —
whilst refusing to give health care workers wage increases that will match the increase in COL.

It's pretty sad that the politicians are being permitted to raid the treasury in this way, in a country where the median family income is $38,000 NZD a year, and the average worker's wage increase — if they even get one — is about half the increase in the cost-of-living.

And now the latest outrage: DHB members get a 7% salary increase, after telling the groups named above that they don't deserve one!

Meanwhile, we're still waiting until February to hear the outcome of DML's court case against the ADHB's awarding of the contract to Labtests Auckland, while DML's highly-trained, experienced staff slowly trickle away to other countries just so they won't have to go to work for Labtests Auckland.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks this deal with Labtests Auckland is a disaster: read what one DML employee has to say about it. Another Kiwi blogger has posted their opinion on the fiasco involving Labtests Auckland here. And another one of DML's employees gives her perspective on the Labtests Auckland contract here.

Addendum, February:
Well, the court case against the ADHB and Labtests Auckland has concluded, and now we all just have to wait and see if the judge will overturn this farce of a contract with Labtests Auckland.

Addendum, March:
The judge ruling on the Labtests court case has thrown out the ADHBs contract with Labtests. The Government and ADHBs are blaming Tony Bierre for "hoodwinking" them. Now we'll see whether the ADHBs can get it right this time.

Here's a great website for all the latest news on the Labtests Auckland fiasco.

Journey to the Land of the Long White Cloud

The Labtests Auckland Fiasco was just the Beginning