Auckland's syphilis outbreak has been able to spread uncontrollably due to several job cuts, says the Association of Salary Medical Specialists (ASMS).
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that starts as a painless sore but can lead to further serious complications, affecting the brain, spinal cord, and other organs.
Auckland Sexual Health Service physician Dr Suita Azariah told RNZ the syphilis contact tracing system has only two nurses working and suffers consistent hindrances caused by resourcing issues.
ASMS believes this is due to staffing cuts the service suffered in 2017.
Speaking to RNZ, ASMS executive director Sarah Dalton said the Auckland DHB made cuts to senior specialists despite being aware of the syphilis outbreak.
"At the time they had five full-time doctors for the whole of Auckland, which we argued wasn't enough."
Former executive director of ASMS Ian Powell sent a letter to the Auckland DHB chief executive outlining the risks associated with letting specialists go and how it would affect the syphilis outbreak, but the DHB still went ahead.
"Syphilis cases continue to rise," Powell said.
"And we are advised, are now appearing in heterosexual men and women (and babies) as well as men who have sex with men."
Auckland DHB director of adult community and long term conditions Sam Titchener told RNZ the 2017 staffing changes have not affected the Auckland syphilis outbreak.
Titchener said the cuts were "usual practice" that ensured the best use of resources.
The Ministry of Health says syphilis numbers have been increasing year on year since 2012, so much so they have labelled the issue as an epidemic.
The Ministry of Health's National Syphilis Action Plan states that the number of syphilis cases reported in 2018 is more than double the number in 2015.
The trend continues upwards especially for Auckland, RNZ reported 124 cases of syphilis in the region in June 2019, a 120 percent increase on the same time in 2018.
Dalton says there's no reason for Auckland to be suffering from "third world diseases" and the Auckland Sexual Health Service is in dire need of more support to fix the issue.
