17 April 2025

The decision by senior doctors in Aotearoa New Zealand to go on strike on 1 May underscores concern that cuts to the health budget will worsen the healthcare workforce crisis.

Dr Hamish McCay, Aotearoa NZ President at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), said that the healthcare workforce has been under immense pressure and needs urgent support.

"A strike action is absolutely the last resort for healthcare workers. This decision highlights just how urgent the need for change is," Dr McCay said.

"Over the past several years, the healthcare workforce in Aotearoa has been stretched thin.

"The demand for medical specialists has continued to grow at the same time that the healthcare system is facing a severe workforce shortage.

"This has meant that doctors and other health professionals have been navigating unsustainable workloads and inadequate working conditions.

"The Government's Healthcare Workforce Plan recognises that we need at least an additional 3,450 doctors over the next nine years, yet the Government has not articulated a clear pathway to achieving that goal and has slashed the health budget.

“Unless urgent action is taken to address these workforce challenges, we will continue to see many doctors leave the public system, the country, or the profession altogether.

"We implore the Government to invest in meaningful solutions for our healthcare professionals and the patients that rely on them.

"Aotearoa needs a comprehensive, fully-funded plan to ensure our doctors and other medical professionals receive the support they need to provide New Zealanders the best healthcare possible," Dr McCay said.