The junior doctors’ union says a decision on the proposed Waikato Medical School is taking too long.
The Ministry of Health is progressing a business case and cost benefit analysis to decide if the $380 million school in Hamilton should go ahead.
It was working with the University of Waikato, which would be home to the country’s third medical school, and Health New Zealand.
The school aimed at producing more GPs to plug dire shortages, particularly in rural and regional areas.
Resident Doctors Association secretary Dr Deborah Powell said it was frustrating a decision had not been made already.
“Look it’s really frustrating that we haven’t had a decision on it and I would certainly welcome a decision shortly so we can get on with this because it’s fundamentally what we need to fix our medical pipeline,” Powell said.
“In the interim we spend money bringing more people in from overseas, retraining them and of course, the vast majority of our overseas doctors leave the country within five to 10 years.
“So what we fundamentally need to do is produce more of our own because we know that 80% of our own graduates are still here are 10 years – we retain our own graduates.”
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said it was progressing the detailed business case and final cost benefit analysis, working closely with the university and Te Whatu Ora to “gather the information needed for this work”.
“This will inform advice to ministers in the first half of 2025. Any further announcements can be expected following completion of this process.”
In August, ACT leader and coalition co-leader David Seymour told the government he was “dissatisfied” with an analysis he said skipped over key costs.
ACT pointed to Treasury’s opposition to the proposal when it said there were more affordable options, such as increasing the number of students at Auckland and Otago medical schools.
But in November, the senior doctors’ union told Morning Report the medical school should go ahead and the number of medical students in Auckland and Otago should also be increased.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton said the country needed more doctors as soon as possible so they should be trained in New Zealand.
If green-lit, the Waikato Medical School was expected to open with 120 enrolments in 2027 with the university funding $100 million of the cost.
Last month, RNZ revealed former National MP and incumbent Hamilton City Councillor Tim Macindoe had been hired by university Vice Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley to advocate for the school.
Macindoe said in his role as ambassador for the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine, he would not be going cap-in-hand to councils asking for contributions toward the $100 million.
rnz.co.nz
