Victoria's Doctors and Allied Health Professionals Strike Over Pay and Conditions

Doctors and allied health professionals at Victoria's public hospitals have walked off the job today, as year-long bargaining processes with the government over pay and conditions remain at a standstill.

Doctors across the state will undertake a four-hour work stoppage from 3:30pm to 7:30pm, while allied health professionals will strike for a full 24 hours.

Patient Safety and Welfare Protected

Hospital emergency departments will be excluded from the work stoppage, with staffing across hospitals remaining at Saturday levels to protect patient safety and welfare.

The Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association (VAHPA) said exemptions to the stop work would apply in certain sectors such as emergency care, neo-natal, maternity and paediatric patients, and units with high dependency patients such as oncology, coronary and palliative care to ensure patients are not affected.

Doctors' Concerns and Demands

The Australian Medical Association's (AMA) Victorian branch president Simon Judkins said today's protest by doctors came as a last resort following "over 60 meetings and six months of promises that an offer was imminent".

"Doctors do not want to be attending protests. They want to be in their hospitals doing what they've dedicated their lives to, and that's caring for their patients," Dr Judkins said.

"But the reality is, they cannot do that job properly and safely with the unsustainable working conditions and staffing the government has provided."

Dr Judkins said the AMA was calling for conditions consistent with other emergency services, including a 12.5-hour cap on shifts and guarantee of three consecutive days off during a fortnight of work.

Impact on Patient Care

AMA Victoria union members Laura Pannozo and Aaron Bagnato said they joined the rally to improve care for patients.

"All of this is about the patients," Dr Bagnato said.

"We can do much, much better for them."

Dr Pannozo said the number of hours that doctors had to work affected the quality of the care they provided.

"We're currently working 14-hour shifts. We're looking for a minimum shift length of 12.5 hours to help prevent errors and issues with patient care."

"Fatigue has become such a problem. More safety mechanism needs to be built into how we work," Dr Bagnato said.

"It's not as much about the money as it is making sure that everyone is safe — patients and staff."

Regional Doctors' Experiences

Doctors at Mildura Base Public Hospital staged a walkout, holding signs calling for changes as motorists passing by honked in support.

Intern doctor Emily Vu said she and her colleagues felt they had been left "unprotected" by the protracted bargaining.

"Unprotected in the way of 13-and-a-half hour days, 12 days in a row, and that's legal," Dr Vu said.

"The system has failed us, we are exhausted, we are burnt out."

She said she was worried about the safety of her patients, and for her own mental health given the workload she was under.

"I love medicine, I love being a doctor, but the system has made me fall out of love with my job."

Fellow intern doctor Lee Peterson said the current system felt unsustainable, given the amount of demand on hospitals.

"The conditions of how many patients are absolutely lined up the corridors on ambulance stretchers, the ambulances are ramped," Dr Peterson said.

"I spent my whole shift on Wednesday not being able to have specific private conversations with patients because there literally wasn't a bed or a private room."

She said she was forced to take blood samples in the corridor, with not enough staff to treat patients and free up beds.

Government Response

Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the government was speaking with the AMA about its concerns, and hoped both parties would reach a resolution soon.

"Those discussions are progressing well and I'm absolutely focused on making sure that they result in a settlement that everybody is comfortable with," Ms Stitt said.

Ms Stitt said strong plans were in place to ensure patient safety during the strike, and confirmed hours of work and doctor fatigue formed part of the discussions.

However, the health minister could not confirm if the government had made any offers in the past 14 months, and the AMA said no offer had yet been received from the government.

Allied Health Professionals' Strike

The doctors strike coincides with a 24-hour strike by allied health professionals, who are yet to secure a deal with the government after 12 months of negotiations.

Members of VAHPA, which represents professions such as radiographers, physiotherapists and social workers, have gone on strike at 43 public sector hospitals in the state.

VAHPA secretary Aneta Menkinoska said Victorian allied health professionals were among the worst paid in the country.

"Highly experienced clinicians are leaving the workforce due to burnout and unreasonable workloads. It's not sustainable," she said.

"Poor pay means we cannot retain and attract staff to fill the gaps. Why would you bother getting a four-year degree to be paid so poorly?"