More than 100 Bay of Plenty junior doctors across Tauranga and Whakatane hospitals will walk off the job for 73 hours next week.

The three-day strike is expected to affect about 235 planned surgeries and outpatient appointments, when it begins at 7am on Tuesday, January 17, and ends 8am on Friday, January 20.

It's the second strike organised by the New Zealand Resident Doctors Association after negotiations with country's 20 district health boards stalled over resident doctors' current working conditions.

The association says some resident doctors are made to work unsafe hours 12 days in a row, and night shifts of seven days in a row.

It's seeking a maximum of four nights in a row followed by three days off, and a maximum 10 days in a row with four days off.

The Bay of Plenty District Health Board currently employs 164 resident doctors at Tauranga and Whakatane Hospitals, of which, 116 are members of the NZRDA.

Medical director Dr Hugh Lees says they're prepared for next week's strike, with contingency planning taking place since notice of the strike action by the NZRDA was received.

'A team has been meeting regularly in the lead-up to the strike with a focus on reducing the impact on services for patients, allowing clinical staff to focus on patients in most need.

'The BOPDHB has all shifts covered with either junior and/or senior medical staff as appropriate.”

It's likely the Emergency Departments at both Tauranga and Whakatane hospitals will be impacted the greatest, adds Hugh.

He says they're currently working through what surgery and clinics have to deferred and rescheduled, and expects the numbers to be similar to those during the previous strike action by the junior doctors.

During the October 2016 strike action by junior doctors, 40 patients had their planned surgery deferred and 295 patients had their outpatient appointments deferred.

'In the previous strike we had regular team meetings in the lead-up to, and during, the action with a focus on maintaining patient safety and reducing the impact on services for patients.

'The normal operational meetings were also held more regularly than usual, again with an emphasis on maintaining patient safety, which was achieved.”

NZRDA members voted to take further strike action in support of settlement of their Multi Employer Collective Employment Agreement, which will cease to exist at the end of February 2017 unless renewed before then, in December of last year.

Since the October 2016 strike progress in bargaining has occurred, but negotiations came to a standstill again shortly before Christmas but 'informal discussions” are continuing between the parties.

'NZRDA acknowledges that the DHBs have come a long way from ‘no', however this is something we need to get right, and there is still a way to go before we can safely say we are there. Bringing the negotiations to a standstill is not the way to achieve that.”

Resident Doctors, also known as House Officers, Registrars or Resident Medical Officers, are registered medical practitioners and range in experience from first year qualified doctors to those with more than 12 years' experience.

Bay doctors will be among more than 3000 NZRDA members involved in the strike which will affect all of New Zealand's 20 district health boards.

For more information or to check if your appointment will be affected by next week's strike call the dedicated BOPDHB line on 0800 333 477.

Whakatane Hospital. Photo: BOPDHB