Masterton Medical has continuously been waging a battle against staff shortage. The development is pretty obvious as patients in the emergency department of the Wairarapa Hospital have been continuously made to wait for treatment.

The shortage of doctors has come with a pinch, especially after the shutting down of the Chapel Street Family Doctors.

Masterton Medical is currently short of three doctors, and is treating over 24,000 patients with the help of 16 general practitioners. It also needs to be noted that though the hospital is able to operate smoothly on regular days, it is when a staff member has gone for a leave that the toll of work increases massively.

The beginning of this month was a tiring affair for the doctors at the facility, as the month had started with an increase in the number of reports related to illness. School holidays had also resulted in further exhaustion of the staff in the hospital.

The increase in workload and the shortage of staff has resulted in immense stress for the doctors.

Cathy O’Malley, the CEO for the Wairarapa Primary Health Organization has blamed the closure of the Chapel Street Family Doctors, as the shutting down of the facility had resulted in an increase in patients for the Wairarapa Hospital.