Biosecurity office understaffed, says DPIF vet
QUEENSLAND’s ability to deal with an exotic disease outbreak may be seriously compromised due to the lack of epidemiologically trained veterinary staff within the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, according to a senior veterinarian within the department.
Epidemiologists are specifically trained in identifying potential disease risks and investigating and combating disease outbreaks.
The DPIF veterinarian, who preferred not to be identified, said that due to poor wage conditions, only one epidemiologically-trained veterinarian works with the Queensland DPIF - he is currently on long-service leave.
"If you have some major foreign disease outbreak like foot and mouth, bird flu or anthrax, an epidemiologist is crucial because they can provide a detailed veterinary tracing of how it occurred and how it will spread amongst the population," he said.
"This information is obviously essential when it comes to strategies of how to contain and deal with an outbreak.
"Basically all epidemiologists trained by the DPIF have left because the pay isn’t sufficient to retain people and we can’t fill the vacancies for the same reason. Other states have four or five or more veterinarians actively involved in epidemiology."
The comments come after DPIF veterinarians voted to reject a four per cent pay rise offered by the department after two years of negotiations.
Spokesperson for Queensland Public Service Union Michael Thomas said that DPIF veterinarians earn from $15,000 to $30,000 less than their colleagues in comparable government positions in other states.
"The DPIF seems more interested in sending out press releases about the Queensland Office of Biosecurity than putting wages and conditions in place to secure first class protection against biosecurity risks," Mr Thomas said.
The DPIF vet said the overall number of veterinarians in the department had dropped by about a third since the 1990s, along with the team’s depth of experience.
"You need a mix of new graduates and experienced vets to pass on knowledge and expertise.
"DPIF have run down our service to the extent that it is severely compromised due to a lack of staff numbers and the experience of the staff.
"We are now in limbo, waiting for a response from DPIF and hoping that reason will prevail."
The DPIF did not offer an in depth comment on the issue beyond stating they would continue to work with veterinarians in relation to their workplace conditions.
Epidemiologists are specifically trained in identifying potential disease risks and investigating and combating disease outbreaks.
The DPIF veterinarian, who preferred not to be identified, said that due to poor wage conditions, only one epidemiologically-trained veterinarian works with the Queensland DPIF - he is currently on long-service leave.
"If you have some major foreign disease outbreak like foot and mouth, bird flu or anthrax, an epidemiologist is crucial because they can provide a detailed veterinary tracing of how it occurred and how it will spread amongst the population," he said.
"This information is obviously essential when it comes to strategies of how to contain and deal with an outbreak.
"Basically all epidemiologists trained by the DPIF have left because the pay isn’t sufficient to retain people and we can’t fill the vacancies for the same reason. Other states have four or five or more veterinarians actively involved in epidemiology."
The comments come after DPIF veterinarians voted to reject a four per cent pay rise offered by the department after two years of negotiations.
Spokesperson for Queensland Public Service Union Michael Thomas said that DPIF veterinarians earn from $15,000 to $30,000 less than their colleagues in comparable government positions in other states.
"The DPIF seems more interested in sending out press releases about the Queensland Office of Biosecurity than putting wages and conditions in place to secure first class protection against biosecurity risks," Mr Thomas said.
The DPIF vet said the overall number of veterinarians in the department had dropped by about a third since the 1990s, along with the team’s depth of experience.
"You need a mix of new graduates and experienced vets to pass on knowledge and expertise.
"DPIF have run down our service to the extent that it is severely compromised due to a lack of staff numbers and the experience of the staff.
"We are now in limbo, waiting for a response from DPIF and hoping that reason will prevail."
The DPIF did not offer an in depth comment on the issue beyond stating they would continue to work with veterinarians in relation to their workplace conditions.
posted by dr mcgillicudy's cudsong at 2:55 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home