Weekend work in Aussie nets NZ doctors thousands

New Zealand doctors are being paid up to $8200 to work weekends in New South Wales hospitals, the Sydney's 'Sun-Herald' newspaper reports. Photo / Thinkstock

Kiwi doctors flying to New South Wales to work weekends are earning as much as A$6000 (NZ$8200).

The New Zealand doctors are frequently working in regional areas of the state in particular as the New South Wales government spends up to $59 million a year on locums, the Sun-Herald newspaper in Sydney reports.

Australian College for Emergency Medicine president Sally McCarthy said increased regulation in New South Wales meant it was often quicker and easier to bring in locums from New Zealand and other Australian states.

Caps on locum rates in New Zealand had helped encourage New Zealand doctors to head to Australia for the weekend, said Sam Hazeldine, managing director of New Zealand agency MedRecruit.

"Our doctors on average can earn twice as much in Australia," Dr Hazledine told the Sun-Herald.

He said New Zealanders were also starting to seek locum positions for longer periods of time.

An advertisement in one of today's papers is seeking GPs for an Adelaide medical centre and offering $AUS450,000-a-year salary, plus relocation costs.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell expects the numbers heading to Australia to increase, especially given locums can head over and top up their salary.

He said this puts more demands on doctors in New Zealand and more stress on the health system.

Mr Powell said there was no comparison between the salary a doctor can earn in Australia with what they can receive in New Zealand.

- NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB