Awanui Labs seeks to gut its Nelson Lab
Friday 12 May 2023
Awanui Labs is consulting APEX and affected staff on a proposal to cease their histology service at the Nelson Laboratory. They propose disestablishing ten positions, and transferring the region’s histology work to their Christchurch lab.
‘This is shocking and upsetting news’, David Munro, Advocacy Lead at APEX remarked today. ‘No-one saw this coming,’ he continued. ‘To say that we are astonished that the biggest supplier of medical laboratory service in New Zealand would elect to make ten scientists, technicians and admin staff redundant when we have a nationwide shortage of qualified laboratory staff, and a vacancy crisis in many labs, is an understatement.’
APEX will be vigorously opposing this downgrade of the Nelson Hospital lab in our feedback on this proposal. Last year the Nelson lab processed 21,432 histology specimens for 18,048 patients.
‘Suggesting that it will improve service to transport that number of specimens to Christchurch by courier, where they will be processed to provide a digital result to the pathologists back in Nelson, is simply ludicrous.’ said Mr Munro today. ‘How this accords with Te Whatu Ora’s stated objective of providing diagnosis and treatment ‘closer to home’ as it moves to tackle the ‘post-code lottery’ in the health system, is anyone’s guess!’ he continued. ‘The people of Nelson- Marlborough are being let down by this huge private sector business that paid a $42 million dollar dividend to shareholders last year, and which has shared ownership between the NZ Super Fund, a Canadian pension fund and local iwi interests.’
New Zealanders deserve better than this from their health system.
ENDS
| Contact: David Munro
Laboratories National Advocate APEX Mobile (027) 276 9999 |
What is a Medical Laboratory Worker?
Medical Laboratory Workers are registered health professionals who run laboratories and test, interpret and report laboratory results. They are trained to identify disease and abnormalities through studying blood, tissue and other bodily samples. Laboratory workers work ‘behind the scenes’ but remain an integral part of the health system whose work is vital to patient treatment. More than 90% of prescribed treatments require laboratory input to aid/confirm diagnosis or to monitor drug levels or disease progression.
Histopathology (Medical Histology) is the branch of histology that includes the microscopic identification and study of diseased tissue. Medical laboratory science is a bit like detective work. Workers look for answers to the disease ‘puzzle’ to help doctors diagnose and treat their patients. They answer questions such as: are these cells abnormal? What do these blood cells tell us about this person’s health? How does it fit in with their other symptoms? How much of drug ‘x’ is in this person’s blood? Is it working effectively? What bug is making this person sick?
Medical Laboratory Workers take on a high level of responsibility, often needing to make important decisions under pressure. Emergencies can occur at any time, day or night, so laboratory workers have to prioritise and use their initiative, often without much back-up. If the doctor needs to know the answer, they have to deliver. Sometimes this means working through the night providing results while patients fight for their life in another part of the hospital or a surgeon waits, mid-operation, for a phone call.
Responsibilities include developing, adapting and applying scientific methods of analysis and ensuring high standards of quality assurance. An understanding of the methodology and theory behind complicated, technical and automated equipment is essential, as is developing the skills necessary to identify and interpret abnormalities under the microscope or via other diagnostic technology. Laboratory workers are highly regarded and sought after worldwide.