Funding for medical school enrolments will be increased by 50 places from next year, Minister of Health, Ayesha Verrall announced today.
The additional funding will see the cap on funding for first-year medical school enrolments increased to 589 places annually, from the current 539. The additional places will be allocated across the University of Auckland and University of Otago beginning in January 2024, the Minister said.
“We are growing the number of doctors trained in New Zealand to help meet the needs of our population and ensure health equity across the country. We want to train and retain as many local health workers as possible,” said Dr Verrall.
“We have always been reliant on overseas-trained doctors, and we recognise the skills and knowledge the international workforce brings to our workforce. However, to address inequities in the system and build a sustainable workforce, we must grow and invest in our domestic doctors, especially when there is global competition for internationally trained doctors.
“Training more medical students will help us grow our domestic workforce over time, ensuring we can provide sustainable public health care,” she said.
