Three fold increase in doctors heading to Oz - recruiters

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A medical recruitment company claims to have seen a 300 per cent rise in New Zealand doctors leaving to find better pay in Australia in the last year.

MedRecruit, which finds temporary, or locum, placements for doctors, said the New Zealand workforce was becoming "critically understaffed" because doctors can earn at least twice as much in Australian hospitals.

That was disputed by the Government agency overseeing medical staffing levels, Health Workforce New Zealand.

It pointed to the successful launch of several programmes aimed at retaining doctors in the country, along with 2009 statistics showing improving conditions for New Zealand doctors.

Sam Hazledine, director of MedRecruit, said he had seen a massive increase in doctors leaving for Australia since February 2010.

Those who stayed in New Zealand faced workloads that have been described as "extremely unsafe" because District Health Boards do not have funding for extra staff, he said.

"We've had over a 300 per cent increase in doctors heading to Australia to work where they can often earn more than twice as much as they could in New Zealand.

"There are some who say you can't compare us with Australia. But doctors see it as a single market."

The staffing problem is exacerbated by those moving to Australia choosing to stay longer, said Dr Hazledine.

Most of those who go over are staying three months to two years, but more are leaving for good, he said.

"In the past they would have come back but now they're staying.

"I'm hearing doctors saying they're getting stretched harder and harder and the stretching is getting to a point where they feel like just packing up."

He said some doctors did not feel an obligation to stay in New Zealand, as many had large debts to pay.

His stance was backed by Association of Salaried Medical Specialists director Ian Powell, who said many hospitals were experiencing "crisis-level" staffing shortages.

New Zealand was losing too many junior and senior doctors overseas and struggling to recruit new international doctors, he said.

A statement from Health Workforce New Zealand said those concerns about doctor shortages were being addressed with a number of initiatives, including the Advanced Trainee Scheme, which provides a scholarship for doctors to train overseas if they agree to build their career in New Zealand.

It had also launched a medical careers guidance service and leadership opportunities for senior doctors, while helping to reform the training regime for General Practitioners.

Health Minister Tony Ryall last week said health workforce was a longstanding issue in New Zealand and internationally.

"This government is doing a great deal to address the problem and we are making progress. We are also fortunate that in the past two years we have seen an extra 500 doctors join our public health workforce across many specialties," he said.

Medical Council of New Zealand statistics from 2009 showed a steady increase in the overall size of New Zealand's medical workforce to 307 per 100,000 population.

They also showed a slight reduction in average hours doctors work to 44.2 per week.