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Dancing doctors slam budget cuts

Dancing doctors slam budget cuts

EXCLUSIVE: Staff at Westmead Hospital have been reprimanded for making a Christmas video that criticises government budget cuts.

It was all in the name of fun, but unions say the message is serious, and symptomatic of an ailing health system.

For the staff at Westmead Hospital, laughter is obviously the best medicine.

But their Christmas party parody of the Gangnam style pop craze took a swipe at the health system, and the Health Minister isn’t impressed.

"There is an increased budget this year, $940 million across the health system," New South Wales Health Minister Jillian Skinner said.

Hospital management reprimanded the doctors, department head, Peter Klineman, and cardiac anesthetist Simon Zidar.

"Everyone agreed it was good for morale, it was not intended to be a slight against the hospital," Zidar said.

Brett Holmes from the Nurses’ Association says the staff shouldn’t be criticised, or disciplined for the fact that they’ve taken a “light-hearted approach”.

The video even compared the health system with North Korea's.

Hospital management dismisses that, but at the same time, they did apply some tough censorship, North Korean style.

They ordered it be instantly removed from YouTube, but tonight it's been revived. Watch the full video: