The temperature of the resident doctors contract dispute rose yesterday, as doctors walked off the job for a second time.
Their union, the New Zealand Resident Doctors' Association, accused district health boards of ''deliberate distraction'' and doctors picketing outside Dunedin Hospital suggested this was likely to be a long dispute, and more strikes to come.
RDA members walked off the job at 8am yesterday and will not return to work until 8am tomorrow.
Twice as many doctors were protesting outside Dunedin Hospital yesterday compared with the first strike a fortnight ago.
Local RDA organiser James Anderson believed more strikes would follow the third stop work - scheduled for February 12 and 13.
''This is purely about our working hours,'' he said.
''It's not about pay. It's about patient safety.
''We all hoped this would be settled after mediation talks last Thursday, but we made no progress at all.''
Also frustrated yesterday was the union's national office, which claimed Canterbury SDHB chief executive David Meates had wrongly linked a Ministry of Health meeting on wellbeing of the health sector workforce to the dispute.
Neither the union, which wants to preserve existing conditions, nor DHBs, which say they want the freedom to vary rosters, appear likely to move any time soon.
Southern District Health Board chief executive Chris Fleming was unable to give an accurate figure of how many doctors were on strike.
''There would normally be 126 at work today at Dunedin Hospital and 63 reported for duty.
''At Southland Hospital there would normally be 45 resident medical officers at work today and 21 reported for duty.''
Hospitals and emergency departments remained open.
The threat of more industrial action emerged yesterday, when Public Service Association members employed as administration workers, by DHBs announced stop work meetings on February 11.
The union was seeking pay rises for members, as well as progress on equal pay agreements.
