New Zealand Fast-Tracks Overseas Doctors Amidst Workforce Strain

Medical Council Simplifies Registration to Address Shortages

New Zealand is streamlining its process for internationally trained doctors to register and begin practicing, aiming to alleviate pressure on its healthcare system.

Expedited Pathways for Key Nations

General practitioners from the United States, Canada, and Singapore will now see their applications processed within a two-month timeframe. This move is designed to expedite the deployment of qualified medical professionals to areas facing shortages.

Dr. Rachelle Love, Chair of the Medical Council, stated that these changes are crucial during a period of significant strain on the health system. She emphasized the council’s commitment to finding practical solutions that ensure safe patient care and timely access to services.

Doctors with recent experience in Chile, Luxembourg, and Croatia are now eligible for provisional registration. This acknowledges their work in healthcare systems deemed comparable to New Zealand’s. This expansion brings the total number of comparable countries to 29, including recent additions like Japan and South Korea.

Applications submitted through the comparable health system route will undergo assessment within a swift 20 working days. Similarly, overseas specialists from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia in fields such as anaesthesia, dermatology, emergency medicine, general practice, internal medicine, pathology, and psychiatry can also expect expedited assessments to practice in Aotearoa.

Government Welcomes Enhancements

Health Minister Simeon Brown lauded the new measures, asserting they will bolster New Zealand’s frontline medical workforce. He noted that New Zealand competes globally for skilled medical talent, and the inclusion of Chile, Luxembourg, and Croatia makes the country a more attractive destination for these professionals.

“New Zealand has long benefited from the skills and expertise of international medical professionals. They play a vital role in supporting our domestically trained workforce and ensuring patients can access timely, quality healthcare,” Minister Brown remarked.

These changes build upon existing government efforts to strengthen the health sector. Minister Brown previously announced a training program to integrate up to 100 additional overseas-trained doctors into primary care, which saw an overwhelming response with over 180 expressions of interest.

Retention Challenges Highlighted

While welcoming the new registration processes, Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, expressed concerns about the overall doctor shortage. She believes that Health NZ and the government need to play a more significant role in attracting and retaining doctors, particularly by addressing the funding for Senior Medical Officers.

Dalton pointed out that 71 percent of overseas-trained doctors leave New Zealand within five years, indicating a failure in retention efforts. She suggested that less competitive terms and conditions, especially when compared to Australia, contribute to this issue, with doctors opting for higher pay and less demanding environments elsewhere.

Further compounding the problem, a significant portion of New Zealand’s medical workforce, 43.3 percent, comprises overseas-trained professionals—one of the highest ratios internationally. College of General Practitioners president Samantha Murton noted that the current increase in medical student numbers is insufficient to meet escalating demand, exacerbated by an aging population and evolving patient expectations.

Murton advocated for an increase in domestic medical training, suggesting that introducing a graduate-entry medical program could significantly boost the number of doctors trained in New Zealand more rapidly.

Data from the Medical Council of New Zealand indicates that the median earnings for a General Practitioner in New Zealand were NZ$160,000 in 2023, whereas in Australia, comparable roles often exceed AUD$300,000 (approximately NZ$318,000) plus superannuation benefits (Source: Health Workforce Australia, 2023).