Health Workforce Advisory Committee Report disappointing
NEW ZEALAND MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Health Workforce Advisory Committee Report is disappointing, says the NZMA
‘Although we need time to analyse the HWAC Report Future Directions -Recommendations to the Minister of Health 2003,
our first impression is one of disappointment,’ says NZMA Deputy Chairman Dr Ross Boswell. ‘We had hoped it would
provide a context for substantive progress in addressing problems in the medical workforce such as shortages of
pathologists, psychiatrists and GPs, but it fails to do this.’
He says there are positive aspects. ‘The recommendations around healthy workforce environments and research and
evaluation are important and helpful.’
‘However, the Report makes no attempt to address one of the key workforce issues - student debt. Although recent
announcements of increased scholarship funding were very welcome, they do not provide a comprehensive or long term
solution to this problem,’ he says. ‘If HWAC is not making recommendations around this issue, who is?’ Dr Boswell asks.
‘We are concerned that many of the recommendations rely heavily on action by DHBs and appear to shift much of the
responsibility for workforce development to DHBs. Unless this is coordinated within a national operational framework by
the Ministry of Health, efforts will be hugely fragmented. Similarly, within the primary care section there is heavy
reliance on the place of PHOs, which will find it difficult to realise these expectations,’ Dr Boswell warns.
He says that the NZMA is concerned at the potential dissonance between the prescriptive regulatory environment the
Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act will create and the decentralised ‘generalised guidance’ included in the
Report.
‘The NZMA’s Workforce Committee will seek an early opportunity to discuss the recommendations with HWAC,’ he says.
ENDS