AMA Northern Territory AMA(NT) said today that the decision by several surgeons to submit
their resignations from the Royal Darwin Hospital could have been avoided if the Department
of Health and Families and the Minister for Health had listened to its advice and brought
forward negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement that would support the
recruitment and retention of doctors to the Northern Territory.
AMA NT Vice President, Dr Rob Parker, said these warnings have been ignored and now it
looks like patients will be the big loser with the loss of more doctors from our public hospital
system.
“The Territory arguably has the sickest patient population in the country and the AMA(NT) has
been saying for many years that we need the “Best of the Best” to look after Territorians,” Dr
Parker said.
Dr Parker said these doctors have lost patience with the Department because it has consistently
ignored growing anger at the lack of pay parity within the hospital and with interstate
colleagues.
“The government must give priority to a new EBA that will improve parity across all craft
groups within the public hospital system and ensure that we can compete with other States and
Territories to recruit and retain a viable medical workforce that can deliver the best possible
patient care.”
Unless this happens other craft groups will follow the surgeons