Doctors strike to save hospital

Alex Bainbridge, Hobart

Doctors began strike action on April 15 and a community rally was held that same day as part of a campaign to restore services at the Mersey Hospital in northern Tasmania.

The private operator of the hospital, Healthscope, claims that obstetrics and emergency services have been cut for safety reasons, however many people believe that the real motivation is profit.

Mersey's director of surgery, Philip Lamont, said the doctors were calling for full restoration of services at the hospital. In the days before the strike, the doctors believed they were making progress in negotiations, according to media reports. Doctors were offering to provide 24-hour support to reopen the emergency area.

However, prior to the strike, the hospital management said there was no agreement.

It appears that the hospital management was refusing to negotiate in good faith. This is impossible to ascertain since doctors are unable to make public comments according to the terms of an agreement brokered in the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) on April 16.

The agreement includes provisions to end strike action on April 19 and to allow a doctor to recommence private obstetrics on the same day. The statement released said that "it is the intention of Healthscope that the future provision of public health services will be determined by the government and Healthscope" in line with a report commissioned by the government that has not been publicly released.

Steve Martin, chairperson of the Mersey Community Hospital Support Group, told Green Left Weekly that it was hypocritical of Healthscope to take the specialists to the IRC for being "in breach of contract when they are in breach of contract [with the government] themselves". Healthscope is contracted to provide the services that have been cut.

"The government should revoke their contract with Healthscope and take over operation of the hospital", Martin said. Large public meetings in Devonport and Latrobe have made similar calls.

An April 7 Greens media statement called for one hospital in north-west Tasmania on two campuses with public services running alongside private services.

"It would mean in practical terms that the government would operate the public services at Mersey and at Burnie but with one administration and Healthscope would continue to operate private services at Mersey", said Tasmanian Greens health spokesperson Tim Morris.

According to Martin, the government has known for a long time that problems were brewing but "they've been sitting on their hands".

"[Health minister David] Llewellyn has said that the community is not listening to him", Martin said. "If he had been listening to the community, we may not have reached this point."

The Support Group organised the April 15 rally and is planning a range of other activities including a "bedside vigil" for April 17-18 and a fundraising ball in Latrobe on June 15. A fighting fund is being organised. Contributions can be sent to: PO Box 24, Devonport 7310.

From Green Left Weekly, April 21, 2004.

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From GLW issue 579