Victoria’s healthcare crisis: Elective surgeries in jeopardy as biomedical engineers prepare to strike

Victorian public hospitals could be forced to cancel elective surgeries as specialist healthcare workers gear up to down tools.

Victorian public hospitals could be forced to cancel elective surgeries as their specialist healthcare workers prepare to take industrial action. Picture: iStock.

Elective surgeries at Victorian public hospitals could be cancelled as a group of highly specialised healthcare workers threaten to ignore requests to fix crucial medical equipment used in operations.

Biomedical engineers – responsible for installing, repairing and maintaining vital medical equipment used in areas including neonatal and pediatric care, oncology, theatre, intensive care and other emergency settings – are set to take industrial action for the first time in over a decade after pay rise negotiations failed.

The Herald Sun can reveal the protected industrial action will begin from 8am on Tuesday, which will also allow biomedical engineers to not test or trial new medical equipment, except in circumstances where it would create an imminent risk to the health and safety of high-risk patients.

It’s understood there are approximately 100 biomedical engineers working across Victoria’s public hospital system.

Biomedical engineers are planning to take industrial action, sparking fears that elective surgeries could subsequently be cancelled.

Engineers taking part in the action will refuse requests to repair medical equipment that is used in planned surgeries, and will also not use personal phones, vehicles and equipment for all work-related business.

They will also refuse to send or submit written reports, which could jeopardise the accreditation of public hospitals that fail to meet legal healthcare standards if reports aren’t filed or declarations aren’t made about when equipment was last serviced.

The industrial action comes after union members rejected the government’s offer of a 3 per cent pay rise per year.

It was initially accepted but withdrawn after watching on as the Allan government struck a deal to give nurses and midwives a 28.4 per cent increase over four years.

Professionals Australia Victorian director Scott Crawford, who represents the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, said all health professionals deserved a fair raise.
“Good on the nurses for their result but the government is now pitting healthcare worker against healthcare worker,” he said.
“Biomedical Engineers solve problems you don’t know you have, in ways you will never understand. They are a highly skilled small community of professionals, who by their nature will rarely be centre stage.”

Healthcare representatives are campaigning for pay rises for highly skilled biomedical engineers in line with their colleagues.

Mr Crawford said biomedical engineers in Victoria get paid over 20 per cent less than their New South Wales colleagues.

This is the latest in a string of industrial disputes between frontline workers and the debt-ridden Allan government, and comes just days after police rejected the introduction of a landmark nine-day fortnight for frontline cops as part of a $500m deal.

According to the latest health performance data, as at the end of March this year, more than 62,000 Victorians were waiting for planned surgery.

Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the health system is in crisis and Victorian patients would pay the price.

“The Allan Labor government’s priorities are all wrong when they favour their CFMEU mates over biomedical engineers who look after vital medical equipment that saves lives,” she said.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “There has been no impact on planned surgeries to date, and we will continue to work with our health services to monitor and limit any impacts.
“We encourage the Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association and Professionals Australia to continue to negotiate in good faith to reach a resolution,” she said.