KEY POINTS:
New Zealand is likely to get a medical training board after Health Minister Pete Hodgson backed the recommendation made in a report today.
The Workforce Taskforce report, released by Mr Hodgson and Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen this afternoon, says such a board is a crucial step towards making other necessary changes.
"The Workforce Taskforce believes the establishment of the medical training board is fundamental for the implementation of strategies which will lead to the professional, organisational and cultural changes required to ensure a sustainable medical education and training programme," it concluded.
The report said as soon as the board was set up it should establish a timeline to get strategies under way to change medical education and training.
Mr Hodgson said the board would provide needed leadership and he would seek Cabinet approval for it to be set up.
Dr Cullen said having enough well-trained doctors was crucial to medical care.
The report said the board would ensure oversight and coordination of medical education and training, get advice from district health boards (DHBs) and others on what practitioners were needed, say how many trainee positions were needed and approve clinical training specifications.
The taskforce recommended the ministers appoint the board and that it be jointly overseen by the Health Ministry and Tertiary Education Commission.
It also said that the Medical Council should be asked to develop a process for limited registration for trainee interns and work with the board on developing a competency-based assessment and progression to general registration.
Other key recommendations included:
* Increasing the numbers of medical graduates;
* That the board has frequent, government-funded, reviews of medical training places;
* That it consult providers and consumers about new support roles for medical practitioners and then tell the Medical Council and education providers;
* Get universities to teach students how to collaborate with other health professionals in different areas;
* Ensure DHBs assist training.
For GPs the taskforce recommended that universities be encouraged to create undergraduate programmes for targeted areas such as rural and Maori and for further work to be done on an education and training programme for general practice to meet New Zealand needs.
- NZPA
