Anaesthetic doctors highlight that part of the
answer to the cancelled surgery crisis – due to a shortage
of anaesthetic technicians – is to grow local trainee
numbers by increasing trainee intakes and adding more Māori
and Pasifika anaesthetic technicians in New Zealand training
programmes.
Currently patients awaiting
surgery are facing cancelled or delayed surgery due to a
lack of anaesthetic technicians. We need to support all of
our health professionals particularly nurses and anaesthetic
technicians. A group of Pasifika anaesthetic doctors (PAiA)
is highlighting that part of the solution to growing
surgical waiting lists is to raise recruitment of local
anaesthetic technicians.
PAiA – Pasifika
Anaesthetists in Aotearoa – is a new organisation that
represents the interests specifically of the Pasifika
anaesthesia workforce – anaesthetists, anaesthetic
technicians, nurses and trainees. Formed initially by a core
of Pasifika anaesthetic doctors, PAiA has extended its
support to Pasifika anaesthetic technicians and trainees at
their request. PAiA is suggesting that suitable additional
Māori and Pasifika trainees be added in order to “grow”
the numbers of current trainees funded by the government.
This would increase training numbers in New Zealand’s
anaesthetic technician training programmes.
Māori and
Pasifika anaesthetic technicians bring their own particular
strengths and cultural understanding to the role when we
look after a high proportion of people from these
communities. The increasing of trainee numbers will also
support the Government’s commitment to equity for
communities like Māori and Pasifika allowing for similar
numbers of anaesthetic technicians in proportion to their
community. Currently over half the annual increase in
workforce is provided by overseas immigrants who fulfil a
vital role.
“Surely growing our own NZ anaesthetic
technician workforce is the best answer to solving this
surgical choke-point – and now is our opportunity” says
PAiA President and Samoan chief, Satuala Dr Leinani Aiono-Le
Tagaloa. “We need to strengthen workforce numbers in this
vital role; and building local recruitment alongside
international efforts will bolster long term planning.”
She states, “it is also an opportunity to contribute to
the building of a more equitable system that is
representative of our population.”
There is support
for this new idea to help solve the staffing crisis from the
New Zealand Anaesthetic Technicians’ Society (NZATS) and the
New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists (NZSA).
NZSA
President Dr Morgan Edwards says “every day in every
hospital across New Zealand patients are having their
surgery cancelled due to the lack of an anaesthetic
technician. Anaesthetic technicians are highly skilled
practitioners that work closely with Anaesthetists to
provide safe anaesthesia care for patients having surgery
and other procedures. NZSA supports any strategy to improve
this critical workforce both in numbers and diversity to
better reflect the society they are caring
for”.
Northland, as an example, is an area that
NZATS Chair and anaesthetic technician Matt Lawrence can see
this strategy would offer positive benefits. “We have a
particular area of need with high levels of sick NZ Māori
with increased needs and high deprivation levels. We are
short of anaesthetic technicians and are increasingly unable
to recruit and retain enough through overseas
recruitment.”
“We are all concerned about the
current conditions and the impact this has on our patients.
An increase in anaesthetic technician training numbers, with
a focus on representation of Māori and Pasifika trainees,
will benefit the workforce, contribute to a more equitable
healthcare system, offer safer working conditions, and most
importantly will benefit our patients” says
Satuala.
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