By Nick Perry
health reporter
Dr Fatehul Islam was celebrating his son Nasif's fifth birthday last night - but was finding less joy in a Government package aimed at retraining overseas doctors.
The Bangladesh-trained GP came to Mt Albert four years ago with the dream of practising medicine, but has had to drive a taxi 20 hours a week while studying to pass medical exams.
He said he was grateful for any help, but the Government's $4.9 million proposal announced this week was short on specifics and did not address discrimination issues.
The package aims to give immigrant doctors training and registration in return for accepting GP postings in remote areas.
Dr Islam's concerns were echoed by the Overseas Doctors Association, which criticised Ministry of Health officials for meeting them only once two weeks ago, before announcing the "confusing and ambiguous" scheme in the media.
But the Minister of Health, Wyatt Creech, said last night that he was bemused at the association's criticisms, since all medical parties had agreed to the proposal in principle.
He said a ministry official had met the association president, Dr Indraka Fernando, and the association offered to send its members into rural New Zealand as a sign of goodwill.
Dr Islam said he was pleased that the Government had finally made a move to help overseas doctors after four years of silence.
"But they are not spending the money in the proper way. We want to be assessed like doctors from other countries such as England."
However, Mr Creech said England and some other countries had medical qualifications equivalent to those here, whereas the Government knew nothing about the standards of practice elsewhere.
"We have a duty to see people don't practise in New Zealand unless they are fully qualified."
