Picket Auckland Hospital Park Road 7th September8.30am

01 September 2006

New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the Northern Chemical Workers Union members are picketing the Auckland DHB as their employer tables a petition against the awarding of the Testing Laboratory for the DHBs’ contract to a new company with no facilities or staff.

Their concerns are around:

a) the limited access of patients in the new companies proposal to cut collection sites around the Auckland region in half.

b) the concern about Health and Safety standards as the new company proposes to use untrained couriers to act as delivery agents of blood and body fluids.

c) delay issues as the new company proposes to send some tests overseas which may cause longer stays in hospitals as Doctors wait for results or delay much needed hospital admittance for the same reason.

d) no consultation with the health professionals in Auckland who will suffer the impacts of the decision the community.

Diagnostic Medlabs, the existing contractor, will present their petition of over 100,000 signatures at an Auckland DHB Board Committee meeting the same day and are also following up with a legal challenge to the DHB’s decision.

NZNO Organiser Chris Gallagher said: "This decision was made with no public consultation. The point of having DHBs with community members on the board was to ensure that the community had input and got the health services it needed. Auckland community is already under-resourced in comparison with worldwide big city centres and this decision to use a new unknown company whose current expertise is in animal testing is not be supported by our Auckland community.

All concerned Aucklanders are welcome to join us in the picket as follows:

8.30am - 9.30am
Auckland Hospital
Park Road, Main Entrance
7 September 2006

For further info phone:

Chris Gallagher (NZNO) 027 292 8487
Pat Brown (NCWU) 027 286 4205

ENDS