NZ health system that’s 50 years out of date

April 13, 2009 - Queenstown

New Zealand is operating with a health system that’s 50 years out of date

The recent article in The Press, ‘An accident waiting to happen’ 11/04/09, highlights the fact that New Zealand’s health system is 50 years out of date and radical changes are needed.

The health system is trying to adapt Gen Y doctors to work in an outdated system, rather than adapting to the new needs of these doctors to work with them to provide the best health care provision possible.

“There is an attitude in the health system that junior doctors should be happy to work in the same way as doctors worked 50 years ago” says MedRecruit managing director Dr Sam Hazledine. “But we’re seeing that this attitude isn’t working with 25% of doctors leaving New Zealand within three years of graduation. Some doctors are making the system work for them in New Zealand through locuming but many are choosing to leave New Zealand for greener pastures like Australia.”

District Health Boards New Zealand (DHBNZ) has launched a recent initiative to cap locum rates which is leading to difficulties for smaller DHBs to staff their hospitals. “This highlights the fact that some people are not prepared to accept the new climate in medicine. Whether people like it or not we operating in a market place to staff our hospitals with junior doctors. Not only are DHBs competing with each other but New Zealand is also competing with overseas, particularly Australia.”

“DHBNZ’s blanket capping of locum rates across the country demonstrates a lack of acceptance that we are operating in a market. Putting false limitations on the market might benefit bigger centres that have fewer difficulties staffing their hospitals, but it’s penalising the smaller DHBs who struggle to attract doctors and sometimes need to pay more to get them. At MedRecruit we are already seeing a 29% increase in doctors wanting to locum in Australia since rates have been capped in New Zealand.”

“DHBNZ needs to accept that over the past 50 years the world has seen massive changes in attitudes and paradigms. With globalisation junior doctors no longer limit their options to staying and working in New Zealand; the world is their playground. We need to accept that health is operating in a world market and New Zealand needs to adapt to attract the doctors we need to provide an acceptable standard of health care to New Zealanders. New Zealand has so much going for it and I’m excited to be in a position to assist junior doctors and DHBNZ to reach a solution.” says Dr Hazledine.

MedRecruit is located in Queenstown and has been providing lifestyle solutions to doctors since 2006 It was established by Dr Sam Hazledine. The company specialises in both the locum and permanent placement of doctors throughout New Zealand and Australia and is Australasia’s fastest growing medical recruitment agency.

ENDS

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