"There is no order preventing senior doctors from speaking to the media," an HNZ spokeswoman said.
A collective agreement included the right for senior doctors to speak publicly when they had concerns about patient safety, she said.
At a Dunedin City Council meeting this week, Cr Cherry Lucas said some cuts seemed to affect working conditions and "a lot of our clinicians and staff appear to have been muzzled, because we haven’t heard from them".
"And that seems like an easy cut, because they are not in a position to speak out and fight about that."
After the council passed a resolution unanimously, calling for the hospital to be built to the specifications previously endorsed by the Cabinet, Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said he hoped the move would induce the Government to listen.
"One of the things that has been a feature is there has been a reluctance of clinicians to come forward and speak out publicly ... but I have spoken to several privately and they all have comments to make, but it is a very difficult position they find themselves in," he said.
HNZ referred the Otago Daily Times to content produced by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).
The importance of senior doctors speaking up when they had unresolved concerns about patient care, or the health and safety of staff, was repeatedly raised at forums, the association said.
"As ongoing budget constraints put huge pressure on hospital services, ASMS often hears about the negative impact on patients and staff alike.
"However, relatively few doctors speak out publicly, despite provisions in the [multi-employer collective agreement] allowing them to do so."
Government moves to offset escalating costs of building the hospital with $90million of "design efficiencies", or cuts, have been criticised by the association.
"Our members are really disappointed that after so much work and consultation, we’re going to get a hospital that’s less than everyone agreed to," southern representative Kris Smith said last month
