A month ago, senior doctors in New Zealand hospitals said they would go on strike at the end of March to get more pay. It now looks as though they will not go on strike after all. The Minister of Health, David Cunliffe, has worked hard in the last month to reach an agreement with senior doctors. He knows that doctors overseas are paid much more. He managed to find more money and he hopes it will be enough to keep more senior doctors in New Zealand.
Most of the senior doctors are specialists. They wanted a pay increase, more money for overtime work and more money for continuing medical education to keep them up to date with changes. Their union will take the agreement to the senior doctors next week to see if they are happy to accept the pay offer.
New Zealand has a problem keeping our doctors. More and more senior doctors are leaving for jobs in Australia where they are paid much more. But, Australia is also losing doctors to Canada and the US. Australia is keen to attract New Zealand doctors because they know we have excellent doctors here.
We also lose young doctors to overseas jobs, usually 3 or 4 years after they graduate. Again it is partly because they can earn more money overseas and this can help to pay back their student loans more quickly. They also want to have a wider experience by working in other countries. Many of these doctors will return to New Zealand in the future, we hope.
Meanwhile, we have many foreign doctors working here. In some smaller towns, nearly all the doctors in the hospital are from other countries. Some come here for a short time, maybe just a year, to get different experience. A year in New Zealand can be an adventure for people who enjoy the outdoors and many others enjoy living in a new country for a short time. Some of these doctors are very experienced so it is not all bad news to have so many foreign doctors here. However, we do have a shortage of specialists in some areas of medicine and in some areas of the country. This is a worry. |