Members of the New Zealand Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) will not be working at 18 DHBs around the country for three days between 7am on 17 January and 8am on Friday 20 January.
Hutt Hospital is well prepared for the strike and the Emergency Department will be open. But we’re urging people to come to the hospital only if it’s an emergency. We will be under significant pressure during the three days of strike action and it’s vital we can help those that really need us.
During the last strike we had good response to this plea, especially for the first 24 hours, and most
people with non-emergency health issues got their healthcare from elsewhere.This meant we were able to provide our usual high standard of care to those patients with life-threatening or acute conditions.
The strike will also have consequences for many patients with out-patient appointments and treatments. Those affected have been contacted by HVDHB to postpone their appointment.
We know this will inconvenience many of our patients and we apologise for this. We want to reassure the Hutt community that our number one focus during the three day strike will be the safety of our patients.
We ask is that people remember we will be under pressure and they should see their GP or after hours clinic unless it’s an emergency.
Patients with questions or concerns can contact the HVDHB on 04 566 6999.
