‘System is in crisis’: Thousands of doctors to walk off the job over safety fears

Thousands of doctors from the state’s major hospitals will walk off the job on Thursday afternoon as part of their ongoing dispute with the government over pay and working conditions.

Doctors will gather outside the Victorian Parliament to call for improvements to their working conditions including a 30 per cent pay rise over four years, a cap of 12.5 hours on shifts, paid overtime, and a guarantee of three consecutive days off during a fortnight of work.

The four-hour industrial action follows more than a year of strained negotiations with the Victorian government.

Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation president Dr Roderick McRae said this week that working hours and fatigue among doctors in hospitals is so severe they felt they had no option but to take strike action again.

“Our doctors do not take the decision to go on strike lightly,” McRae said.

“But the reality is they are being rostered on for 84-hour weeks and frequently work even longer when emergencies occur. They are often completely exhausted and burnt out, with little opportunity to rest between shifts. The threat that this systemic fatigue presents to patient safety is simply unacceptable.”

Emergency departments would be exempt from the strike, McRae said, and staffing would remain above Saturday levels to ensure patient safety would not be put at risk.

McRae said despite more than 14 months of negotiations and more than 60 meetings with three health ministers, the state government had failed to address doctors’ concerns.

“The Victorian hospital system is in crisis, and everyday patient safety is under threat.”

He said doctors had already undertaken four separate strikes in specific regional and metropolitan locations.

“Over the last six months, the government has repeatedly promised doctors that ‘an offer was imminent,’ McRae said. “But despite this, we’ve seen absolutely nothing put forward.”

Non-critical and elective surgeries are expected to be delayed as result of the mass walkout on Thursday afternoon.

Australian Medical Association Victoria president Dr Simon Judkins said doctors were not asking for anything unreasonable, and simply wanted sustainable working conditions to protect patient welfare.

“Doctors do not want to be attending protests,” he said. “They want to be in their hospitals doing what they’ve dedicated their lives to, and that’s caring for their patients.”

He said to ensure the best care for patients, Victorian doctors are asking for a 12.5 hour limit to shifts and at least three guaranteed days off every fortnight to support proper rest and recovery.

“As other emergency services recognise, these basic measures are critical in managing fatigue and in keeping doctors and patients safe,” he said.

The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.

More to come.

Melissa Cunningham is a health reporter for The Age. She has previously covered crime and justice.Connect via X or email.