At the biggest meeting of public hospital doctors on record, doctors unanimously rejected the Bracks Government’s offer made on Tuesday, saying the government had failed to address the primary problem of making working in Victorian hospitals attractive.

 

More than 800 doctors from Victoria’s major metropolitan and regional hospitals attended the meeting held between 12.30pm and 1.30pm in the Melbourne Convention Centre. Doctors arrived in busloads and overflowed the theatre.

 

“By attending the meeting, doctors have shown how strongly they feel about the Bracks Government’s denial of problems in Victorian public hospitals,” AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates said.

 

Doctors agreed to take further professional action if the government did not resolve concerns about pay and conditions.

 

“Tuesday’s offer was insulting. Doctors do not take action lightly, but clearly the government does not understand the seriousness of the situation,” Dr Yates said.

 

“The pay chasm for doctors between Victoria and other states continues to widen. We have a shortage of doctors in Victorian public hospitals and that will get worse and impact on patients under the Bracks government’s offer.

 

“What Victorian patients get now is some of the best care in the world because of doctors’ commitment to research, teaching and training.

 

“This offer falls well short of what is required in terms of dollars but also in terms of what is required to maintain our hospitals’ reputation as leaders in research, teaching and training. 

 

“Under this offer, Victoria will no longer be the centre of medical research and teaching excellence.  Our hospitals will be merely patient factories.    

 

“AMA Victoria has put a very reasonable package to the government. It is time the government shows it is serious about keeping the public hospital system alive, because without doctors we won’t have a public hospital system.

 

“Clearly the government doesn’t care about our hospitals, but doctors have shown today they do, and we will fight to keep hospitals operating, so Victorians can receive the care they deserve,” Dr Yates said.