Confrontational Brumby Causes Chaos In Health System

The decision by members of the Medical Scientists Association of Victoria (MSAV) to take strike action commencing on February 5, against the Brumby Government’s failure to negotiate an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) in good faith will create chaos in the health system, said Helen Shardey, Shadow Health Minister.

This industrial action will take the form of rolling 24 hour daily strikes at various major hospitals across the health system.

Should the Brumby government fail to significantly progress negotiations by February 14, a 24 hour strike will be called across the system, adding further pressure to our hospitals.
Premier Brumby’s confrontational style of negotiating with the hardworking public sector workforce is once again being felt by all Victorians, said Mrs Shardey.

Last year, teachers, nurses, mental health and allied health workers were forced to take strike action against the Brumby Government.

It seems this year Victorians will continue to see the dispassionate Brumby Government’s attitude to workers in Victoria.

The MSAV have been trying to negotiate a new EBA with the Brumby Government for more than five months and the failure of the government to finalise an agreement has led to strike action being taken.

Retention rates of medical scientists have fallen due to the exodus of highly qualified and experienced staff leaving for better paying positions in other states.

Pay rates in Victoria are already 30 per cent below comparable classifications in NSW and unless this is addressed, Victoria will be left with staff shortfalls in all areas of science-based health professions.

The strike will have an enormous impact on elective surgery, especially cardiac surgery which relies on clinical perfusionists, placing increased pressure on a health system that is already struggling with long waiting lists.

Other medical treatments which rely on pathology results, cross-matching blood and radiation therapy will also be impacted on by the strike.

The only thing the Brumby Government and the embattled Health Minister seem to put maximum effort into is ensuring the Victorian health system is in constant chaos, said Mrs Shardey.

Patients Suffer The Brunt Of Brumby’s Stubbornness

Victorian patients may have to wait even longer for their elective surgeries because of the Brumby Government’s failure to effectively negotiate with the Medical Scientists Association of Victoria, said Helen Shardey, Shadow Minister for Health.

Mrs Shardey met with representatives of the Medical Scientists Association of Victoria today to discuss the failure of the State Government to negotiate an agreement with vital hospital staff.

It is unacceptable that the Brumby Government continues to play with the health and welfare of Victorian patients because of their stubborn approach to negotiating with our frontline hardworking health professionals, said Mrs Shardey.

Tomorrow, members will meet and vote on the level of strike action to be taken against the Brumby Government, which will cause elective surgeries to be cancelled state-wide.

If the 2,500 strong association decides to take strike action, staffing will be limited in the following areas:

· Pathology for elective surgeries
· Perfusion for heart surgery
· Neuro-scientists for intensive care
· Psychologists for mental health patients
· Radiotherapy for cancer patients
· Blood transfusions will be restricted to emergencies only
· Pharmacists for medication distribution for patient discharge.

The association has been attempting to negotiate their new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with the government for the past five months and members are frustrated and angry that the negotiations have broken down, said Mrs Shardey.

Dedicated hardworking medical professionals who are needed to ensure Victorians receive the best possible medical treatment are being overlooked by the Brumby Government.

There is a huge wage disparity between Victoria and other states in some cases up to 20 per cent.

We are losing valuable professionals to other states because this government cannot or will not negotiate with medical staff.

This is a situation which has been repeated state-wide by Victorian nurses, mental health workers and allied health workers in the past couple of months, and which has crippled the Victorian health system.

It is unfortunate Victorian patients have to bear the brunt of the Brumby Government’s stubbornness.

Last week the Premier and the embattled Health Minister announced a blitz on elective surgery waiting lists and resources to increase elective surgery capacity, yet they have both failed to realise the importance of medical scientific staff in this equation.

The Government is sitting on an $842 million surplus and vital medical staff are being forced to walk out of hospitals and rally against a Premier who does not listen to the community.

There are 38,109 patients waiting for surgery it’s time the Brumby Government put the patients first, said Mrs Shardey.

25 000 Patients Waiting — That’s A Big Minority

Health Minister Daniel Andrews has insulted thousands of Victorians who have waited years for surgery by dismissing almost 25,000 patients in the past year who were denied surgery within the appropriate time as a ‘minority’, Shadow Minister for Health Helen Shardey said today.

The statement was made as the Brumby Government announced underwhelming measures to reduce elective surgery wait-lists two days after Victoria was dudded on its proportion of federal health funding.

This is just a band-aid solution to the problem, and does not provide a single additional bed. This money is not about planning for a long-term sustainable and viable public health system for future generations – it is money to cover up the State Labor Government’s history of failing Victorian patients, Mrs Shardey said.

The Brumby Government numbers also don’t add up when compared to the federal announcement. While the Federal Government claims that its $34.2 million will treat 5,098 patients, equating to $6,708 per patient, the Brumby Government’s $15 million for elective surgery announced today will treat another 4,302 patients at $3,487 per patient.

The Brumby Government needs to clarify whether State Government funding is for a different category of patients than the Federal Government money, and how and by whom they will be treated.

Why did it take John Brumby this long to act and why has he not done more? He has a projected budget surplus of $842 million at his disposal and all Victorians have been aware of the crisis in public hospitals for years.

While John Brumby claims that this will “halve the number of long-wait patients in Victoria”, the question must be asked as to how many patients are waiting years for an out-patient appointment before they get on the elective surgery waiting list. These figures are not reported.

Unfortunately it is clear the Labor party would not want to spoil a media stunt by telling Victorians the true state of the public health system, Mrs Shardey said.