The Dominion Post writes yesterday about the looming shortage of oncologists. Four cancer doctors have resigned in a very short space of time. The article explores all the usual reasons why doctors leave, particularly the worrying ones of overwork,  which can only be fixed by employing more hard-to-get doctors. What struck me, though, was the [...]

Waitemata, Auckland and Counties Manukau District Health Boards are complaining that they can’t recruit sufficient numbers of junior doctors to fill all available positions. Their solution is unique – they want to reduce the jobs by up to 20 per cent and rely on senior doctors and senior nurses to fill the gaps. It’s a miracle [...]

Dr Deborah Powell, head of the NZ Resident Doctors Association, announced today that Auckland hospitals are short of 160 doctors and need to shut core services “to keep people safe”. I tend to distrust Deborah Powell’s timing as she is inclined to make announcements at a time that suits her agenda, reinforcing her bargaining hand. She has, [...]