Immigrant doctor begins new life ... 8 years later

By ANGELA GREGORY

While his wife waited on tables, Dr Oliver Samin kept his head buried in science books to turn his years of medical training overseas into a New Zealand qualification.

The Philippines-trained doctor came to New Zealand eight years ago hoping to start a new life with his wife, an optometrist, and their two young sons.

But like many other immigrant doctors at the time, Dr Samin was not told his overseas qualifications would not be recognised.

He left his family behind in New Zealand and returned to his former work in Taiwan for 18 months to raise money and finish his surgical training.

He returned to New Zealand in 1997 and took a postgraduate training in applied science, prepared to work as an anaesthetic technician.

But Dr Samin was told trained doctors were not welcome at that level as they could get "above their station" on the job.

Finally Dr Samin was last year accepted into the first Auckland Medical School bridging course for doctors who gained entry to New Zealand between 1991 and 1995.

Hundreds of those overseas doctors were not told their qualifications would not be recognised.

After 1995, overseas doctors were forewarned that if they were from certain countries they would have to sit New Zealand registration exams.

The Government meanwhile set aside $11.9 million to train about 300 of the overseas doctors who were caught unawares.

Dr Samin is now a house surgeon in the orthopaedics ward at Starship Hospital, and is relieved he is finally on the home track.

"It came down to sheer persistence," he said. "I didn't realise the problems I would face."

The Auckland District Health Board's director of clinical training, Dr Stephen Child, said the overseas recruits were welcome as there was an international shortage of junior doctors.

The health board had hired 18 of the first group and 21 of the second intake.

Dr Child also welcomed their cultural diversity - from which, he said, doctors in New Zealand could learn.

"They have in cases a different perspective and ask questions about the way we practise, make us look at the way we do things."

Feature: Immigration