Pathology Collapse
Friday 8 September 2023
In the middle of a bitter pay dispute between APEX members and Awanui Labs, more news has emerged about the crisis in the medical laboratory sector.
Yesterday Radio New Zealand reported that turnaround times for reviewing and reporting pathology slides that may reveal melanoma have ballooned out to as much as eight weeks in two laboratories run by Awanui Labs. The expected KPIs for these Labs sets a maximum turnaround time of two weeks, with an expectation that the vast majority of slides will be reported much sooner than that.
‘This tells us that our once proud medical laboratory system is on the brink of collapse. New Zealanders are already receiving third-world care in a country where they deserve world leading treatment,’ said APEX Advocacy Lead David Munro today.
‘Our members are battling for part of the solution to this crisis,’ continued Mr Munro. ‘We are experiencing a tsunami of experienced scientists and pathologists leaving medical laboratories to take up better paying less stressful jobs anywhere from meatpacking to 9-to-5 jobs in industrial laboratories. Settling the expired collective agreements in the medical laboratory sector with competitive pay increases is now an urgent part of shoring up this small, vital, and vulnerable workforce.’ He concluded.
ENDS
Contact: David Munro
Laboratories National Advocate – APEX
Mobile: (027) 276 9999
Email: david@apex.org.nz
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.
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.