1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,160 Speaker 1: So we're sick of this. Yet if it isn't the teachers, 2 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:05,279 Speaker 1: it's the doctors and the nurses. The salary Medical specialists 3 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: have projected the new one hundred and sixty million dollar 4 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: offer at covers five and a half thousand senior doctors 5 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: over sixteen months. Thirteen thousand patients were expected to be 6 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: affected this time around. Sarah Dulton's the association executive director, 7 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: and is with us Seah mooning, good morning, one hundred 8 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: and sixty million. What's it by? I mean, how I'm 9 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:24,959 Speaker 1: so worn down by this stuff? How far apart are you? 10 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 2: Well, we offer that the revised claim that we put 11 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 2: up when we're in facilitated bargaining a couple of months 12 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 2: ago would have priced out around three hundred million. So 13 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 2: we're still quite far apart, and is very difficult for 14 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 2: us to drop below that point, you know. That is 15 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 2: we initially put up a twelve percent claim, and in 16 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 2: facilitated bargaining we moved so that other than the new 17 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 2: step one, which would be quite a big jump, maybe 18 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 2: about seven percent, the rest of our members would be 19 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 2: looking at about four four and a half percent. 20 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: Well, that's one more than we've got until it's certainly 21 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: more than inflation. How can you claim your going backwards 22 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: to CPI. 23 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 2: Oh, our doctors have had SUBCPI pay adjustments since about 24 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 2: the time of COVID. 25 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, but you can't go back on time. I mean, 26 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: why don't you go back to nineteen seventy three and 27 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: make it sound really bad? 28 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 2: Well, you know, you can say we can't go back 29 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 2: in time, but we have watched the real value of 30 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 2: specialist salaries decrease at a steady rate of non since 31 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 2: about twenty twenty, and we want to restore that value. 32 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 2: We want to reset the platform so that ideally helps 33 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:37,960 Speaker 2: New Zealand will move forward with us to establish a 34 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,960 Speaker 2: structure for senior doctor salaries. At the moment, what they're 35 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,479 Speaker 2: incentivizing is locanworks, so become a contractor. They spent two 36 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 2: hundred million on contractors last year. 37 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: Yeah. I get all of this, but now's not the 38 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: time to be doing this. We've got less than no 39 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: money in a country that was confirmed yesterday to be 40 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: yet again going backwards. 41 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, you know, no, there's no time is a 42 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 2: great time. 43 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: Well, it's not to remember. I mean, when we were 44 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: a rockstar economy. Maybe do it when we're a rockstar economy, 45 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: not a country that's going backwards worse than pretty much 46 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: any country in the world. 47 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 2: Well, I think at the end of the day, access 48 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 2: to healthcare led by specialists matters whether or not you're 49 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 2: a rockstar economy. And at the rate we're going, we're 50 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,520 Speaker 2: going to have a critical shortage of doctors. Doctors have choices. 51 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:29,799 Speaker 2: It's an international market, and our closest neighbor pays significantly 52 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 2: more for their skills. So I think there are some 53 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:35,119 Speaker 2: hard decisions we need to make as a country, irrespective 54 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 2: because access to healthcare isn't based on business or rockstar economy. 55 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 1: I agree with you. Look, I've got some sympathy, but 56 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: I mean this, we're all off to Australia. Australia pays 57 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: more to it. That's always been the case and it 58 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: will probably always be. We're never going to be able 59 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 1: to compete with a twenty six million population or a 60 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 1: three hundred and twenty million American population. It's just it 61 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: is what it is. 62 00:02:55,840 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 2: That's true. But Health New Zealand have also chosen to 63 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 2: suppressed staffing levels so for. 64 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,360 Speaker 1: Our members because they haven't any money, Well no. 65 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 2: I don't. That's choices, right, that's choices about how you spend. 66 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: So Sarah, where would you get your money from? So 67 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: whatever you want, where do you get that money from? 68 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: Who do you take it off? Tell me this morning 69 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: who do you take it off to pay your doctors? 70 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 2: Well, my view would be that we would look really 71 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 2: carefully at the taxation system and make sure that it's. 72 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: Text people more well. 73 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 2: Our recent report says that the tax based health system 74 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 2: is actually really efficient and works well as long as 75 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 2: enough money goes into it. And as you know from 76 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 2: our recent report, the Ministry have been misreporting our actual 77 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 2: health spend for some years and haven't been contributing comparative 78 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 2: data to the OECI did since twenty eighteen because they 79 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 2: don't know how to do it. 80 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: What do you say to the people who are missing 81 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: out next week? 82 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 2: I say, we're really sorry that you're missing out next week. 83 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 2: But what do we say to the people who have 84 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 2: missed out this week and the week after that and 85 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 2: the week after that. Because ask any of our members 86 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 2: and the queue of people suffering from unmet need, unable 87 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 2: to access healthcare is a reality every single day. It's 88 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 2: just health New Zealand doesn't talk about it on those days. 89 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: All right, Sarah, appreciate your time. You have a good 90 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: week in Sarahdalton, who's the Associated Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. 91 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,160 Speaker 1: For more from the My Asking Breakfast listen live to 92 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,359 Speaker 1: news talks that'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 93 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.