This supports the coalition Government’s priority of increasing the number of New Zealand-trained doctors who are committed to working in primary and community health care in rural and provincial New Zealand. This will help improve health outcomes for New Zealanders.
A new medical school would be a significant investment across both the health and education systems.
The Ministry of Health, alongside the University of Waikato, Health New Zealand, the Ministry of Education and Tertiary Education Commission, is now progressing work on a Detailed Business Case for the proposal.
Why New Zealand needs to train more doctors
Health New Zealand has estimated New Zealand is currently short about 1700 doctors (including GPs), and an extra 3400 will be needed by 2032, beyond what New Zealand currently expects to have. More information can be found in Health New Zealand’s Health Workforce Plan, published in July 2023.
New Zealand produces fewer medical graduates than other OECD countries (10.6 per 100,000 people, compared to the average 14.2 per 100,000).
Internationally trained doctors play an important role in helping New Zealand address some of its shortages. However, workforce shortages are a global problem. This creates strong demand and competition internationally for all health professionals, so New Zealand needs to invest in training more of its own workforce equipped with the skills and capabilities needed for our growing and ageing population.
The University of Waikato presented the Government with a proposal for a new training pathway focused on primary and community care. New Zealand’s biggest doctor shortages are in provincial and rural areas and the University of Waikato is located close to many high-needs communities.
Business case process
The Ministry of Health has worked with Treasury to identify the business case and assurance processes needed to consider any Government investment in a new medical school.
In September, Cabinet considered the Programme Business Case and initial Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) for the proposed medical school.
Read Minister of Health Hon Dr Shane Reti’s press release on the Beehive website.
The Ministry of Health is now preparing a Detailed Business Case and final Cost Benefit Analysis for Cabinet, working with Health New Zealand and the University of Waikato to gather the information needed on the key components of the work.
This stage of work will provide more detailed information on the proposal. For instance, it will look at proposals for the development of a curriculum to meet the needs of the health system, accreditation processes for a new medical school, staffing, a model for clinical placements for students in the health system, the requirements for any new building work at the University of Waikato, and the capacity for student supervision in the health system.
