Junior doctors' union rejects criticism from breakaway group

The union representing most junior doctors is rejecting harsh criticism from a new breakaway union. The new union, Specialty Trainees of New Zealand, or SToNZ, is made up of trainee surgeons. It says contentious changes to hospital rosters last year have severely restricted their training, put patient safety at risk and have caused a shortage of 200 to 300 junior doctors. That's rejected by the national secretary of the mainstream Resident Doctors Association, Deborah Powell, who told RNZ health correspondent Karen Brown there's been no affect on training and the rebel doctors are wrong.