AMA (NSW) denounces union attack on all doctors

AMA (NSW) is outraged by the Health Services Union’s (HSU) shock ad campaign for a royal commission into the NSW health budget, calling it an attack on all doctors.

“The HSU’s insinuation that doctors would stand idly by while patients suffer is a disgusting attack on the reputation of all doctors. It is a cheap sucker punch to every hard-working medical professional in the State and flies in the face of the daily heroic efforts doctors make to deliver top quality care to patients,” said AMA (NSW) President, Dr Michael Bonning.

“Doctors work long hours in our public hospitals to care for patients. The face of health services is medical care – the HSU undermines public confidence in all health services by attacking doctors and questioning their commitment to patient care.

“It’s unfathomable that the HSU would think this is a fair representation of the care doctors deliver to patients.

“Healthcare professionals should be the same team – not fighting for scraps from the Government. This outrageous campaign pits healthcare workers against each other and does more harm than good.

“We fully support all frontline workers in their campaign to receive a fair wage, but these tactics are completely disingenuous.

“We support a health budget that puts patients first and allows for patients to be seen in a timely manner – this includes ambulance transfers of patients, as well as funding that improves access block in hospitals.

“There are many reasons why the health system is slipping on performance measures. We have a system that remains under pressure because of a growing and aging population that is presenting to hospital with complex comorbidities,” Dr Bonning said.

Over the past 10 years, growth in service volumes (hospital separations 2.2% and GP attendances 2.8% on average per annum) have significantly exceeded population growth (1.3% on average per annum).

“A sustained ad campaign, such as the one being executed by the HSU, would be costing its members hundreds of thousands of dollars. For a deep-pocketed union to fund dirty tactics with the money from their own hard-working members makes it even less credulous.

“We call on all political parties, particularly the ALP who have indicated their support for the HSU’s Royal Commission and other unions to condemn this attack in the strongest terms,” Dr Bonning said.

AMA (NSW) will be convening urgent meetings with doctors working within the public hospital system to seek their views on the response to this appalling ad campaign.

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