Eager international doctors put hands up for $400,000 small-town job

A Kiwi doctor's desperate call for a young GP in Tokoroa - with the potential to earn $400,000-plus a year - has been answered overnight by doctors from around the world.

The Waikato doctor took to online job sites at the weekend after four medical recruitment firms had been unable to find a suitable candidate over the past two years.

Dr Alan Kenny, who said he would even chuck in half his practice for free, said the catch was the job is not in Auckland and comes with a punishing workload.

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But after the Herald broke the story yesterday, plenty of eager international applicants have come forward.

Doctors with a variety of experience from Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Cuba, Turkey and Fiji, and a surgeon and doctor from Venezuela, have emailed to express their interest.

There were also emails from Malaysia, Uruguay, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and India.

A student doctor from Ireland said she would be "on the next flight out" if given the job.

A 47-year-old doctor from Barcelona - with a specialty is haematology but "a lot of experience in general medicine and emergency" - said she was interested to hear more information about the job and its conditions.

The woman claiming to be a surgeon from Venezuela said: "Please tell the doctor that I would love to go to New Zealand and work with him ... even if he pays only half of the offer."

A Brazilian doctor said he "would love to be accepted".

Many have attached their resumes and CVs to pass on to Dr Kenny. The Herald will be forwarding all emails to him.

The job offer has been reported in the Independent, Guardian and Daily Mirror in the United Kingdom, with Tokoroa being described as a "modest Waikato town" and being located in an "idyllic part of New Zealand's North Island".

It has also been covered by the Irish Independent and Irish Times, and by many news outlets in South America and other parts of Europe.