New Zealand's existing medical training programmes have capacity to train more doctors, says report

While responding to increasing demands for more domestically trained doctors, a report on medical training in Aotearoa New Zealand said that the existing medical training programmes can train hundreds of more doctors.

Study in New Zealand: As per a report on medical training in Aotearoa New Zealand, if the New Zealand government allows more students to study medicine and also provides the funds, the existing medical training program can train more doctors.

The PwC New Zealand report, ‘Medical education in New Zealand: Current state and consideration of future options’, has come against the backdrop of funding and health staffing crisis in New Zealand.

This report has come at a time when the country is witnessing an increased demand for more domestically trained rural doctors, general practitioners and doctors. University of Otago, University of Auckland, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka and Waipapa Taumata Rau have said that they can train as many as 300 additional doctors and that too without any requirement of the government to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on new facilities.

Universities ready to step up

Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland Professor Warwick Bagg said both the University of Auckland and the University of Otago are ready to step up.

“We are able to leverage existing resources, capability and facilities while deploying our experience and expertise to rapidly increase the intake of trainee doctors," said Professor Warwick Bagg.

In Budget 2024, the New Zealand government promised 25 additional medical places for 2025, and earlier also, it had promised 50 medical places.

The University of Otago Medical School’s Acting Dean, Professor Tim Wilkinson said, “The country’s biggest problem is not about education facilities. It is about funding more students to study medicine and ensuring sufficient clinical placements around the country for them to learn on the job."

Professor Warwick Bagg highlighted the main issue in increasing student numbers for training is the provision of clinical placements. “If the Government incrementally increases student numbers year by year, we expect to be able to work with Te Whatu Ora, hospitals and GPs to provide these places.”

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