Radiographers at Canberra Hospital will be undertaking industrial action over the coming days, with their union expressing fears patients could be left without adequate public health care if concerns were not addressed.
The Community and Public Sector Union said year-long negotiations had failed to meet workers' expectations around addressing issues around attraction and retention.
The union said medical imaging service has lost staff as the health service did not compete with pay and conditions of public health services in other jurisdictions and this was "threatening the future of public health in the ACT".
CPSU national president Brooke Muscat said the pay and conditions of allied health professionals was "significantly behind" that in other jurisdictions.
"As a result, it is difficult to attract and retain staff and current employees are paying the price," she said.
"CPSU members in Canberra Hospital's medical imaging department have seen their colleagues burn out, leave the ACT or leave the health service altogether.
"If this issue is left unaddressed, we'll soon see enough patients left without adequate public health care in the ACT."
Radiographers will not do any overtime for 48 hours starting from 12.01am on Wednesday. The union has said the department is completely reliant on staff to do overtime.
Radiographers take X-rays and other medical images.
CPSU has called on the ACT government and Canberra Health Services to work with the union to improve the pay and conditions of allied health professionals.
"The ACT government has a decision to make - continue to lose high quality, caring and experienced staff to other states, or fight for them to stay here in the ACT by coming to the table on pay and conditions," Ms Muscat said.
"Canberrans need and deserve high quality, local care, but right now the ACT Government is letting that slip through their fingers."
A Canberra Health Services spokesman said they had worked with the staff involved to ensure there was no impact on the delivery of health services.
"All patient care will continue without delay," the spokesman said.
"Our radiographers are a valued part of team CHS. They do important work and provide a high standard of care to their patients."
The spokesman said the government was continuing to work with all unions to finalise negotiations on enterprise agreements.
The action comes weeks after radiation therapists walked off the job for an hour to demand a better offer. One-third of therapists have left Canberra Health Services over the past three years.
