Media release from health minister David Cunliffe

The Minister of Health David Cunliffe has praised a Medical Training Board report on the future training of doctors saying it will become one of the pillars of health workforce planning in New Zealand.

" I believe this report  along  with the Senior Doctors and Junior Doctors workforce  commission findings  will be critical in establishing  a path forward to create a national training structure for  doctors ."

"The key question has to be how many doctors will we need in 25 to 30 years time. We also need to know how our medical sector will change in the future and what roles will doctors play and how they will be trained and supported."

"As I have already made it clear in my discussions over the junior doctors workforce commission, we have to make sure that they have the opportunities to grow and develop professionally."

"I note that the Medical Training Board  is concerned ,as the government is , at the Health Industry's reliance on locums , the shortage of  GPs in rural areas and the under representation of Maori and Pacific  people in the medical  profession ,"said Mr Cunliffe.

The Minister of Health said the report addressed all these issues by looking at the future of the workforce, the curriculum framework in our country's medical schools and integrated and coordinated medical training.

"The Government has already made far reaching changes to how work force planning will be managed and I will be speaking on this in Auckland this evening".

"I also note the Training Board's proposal that our medical schools create another 100 places for young doctors over the next four years and I will be consulting with my cabinet colleagues as appropriate. But as this report says this can only be one answer to planning our workforce," said Mr Cunliffe.

The Medical Training Boards report is now open to consultation and the Board is expected to report back to the government by April next year said Mr Cunliffe.

"The various strands of workforce planning will combine with the new workforce leadership role of the Ministry of Health, the workforce commissions and the 2009 budget round .In the New Year we will have a robust, flexible, integrated system to meet the future."