Doctors Defend Lab Jobs

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday December 13, 2000

HUNTER doctors will fight to stop more skilled medical laboratory jobs from being lost to the region after it was revealed yesterday an unconfirmed 50 jobs will go at Hampson Pathology.

A spokesman for Mayne Health, which owns Hampson, confirmed there would be some job losses when the company shifted its blood-testing work from Kotara to Ryde next year.

But he refused to say how many laboratory aides and technicians would be axed.

`We are simply changing the way we do things,' the spokesman said.

`The important thing is there will be no noticeable difference to the public.'

Some testing services would remain in Newcastle, he said.

Mayne Health owns pathology labs across Australia but the spokesman denied the company was centralising operations.

Hunter Urban Division of General Practice executive director Arn Sprogis said the loss of skilled medical technicians was `disturbing'.

`We are very serious about defending both the jobs and the resources for this region,' Dr Sprogis said.

The division would seek talks with the Federal Government to try to prevent more job losses.

`It is a big, big issue for the community, these highly technical, medical jobs being lost,' Dr Sprogis said.

The lab's move might not increase waiting times for patients' test results but the community could `suffer in the long run' if the Hunter's pool of medical technicians was further depleted.