Taupō Hospital will be used to train rural doctors, which could help mitigate a chronic staffing shortage.

By Dan Hutchinson

Simeon Brown visits Taupō Hospital. Photo / Dan HUtchinson

Last week, it was reported that the hospital had just over one-third of its senior doctor positions filled, and the future of after-hours care was at risk.

Health Minister Simeon Brown visited the facility on Tuesday this week to tour the hospital and announce rural training.

Taupō rural hospital medicine specialist Dr Ralston D’Souza told Radio NZ last week that the light at the end of the tunnel was that Taupō Hospital had recently received accreditation to deliver Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) training.

However, that would still require enough permanent senior doctors, D’Souza said.

Brown says the accreditation is a significant step towards building a stronger rural health workforce in Taupō and will help increase the number of doctors trained with the broad skills needed to support rural communities.

Taupō Hospital is the first in the North Island to receive the accreditation.

Brown told Taupō & Tūrangi News it would not just be trainee doctors who would come as part of the rural training but doctors who had finished their training and residency and were looking to specialise in certain areas.

Those doctors could also work in both the hospital and in local GP clinics, helping take the pressure off there too.

At Greymouth Hospital where the ACRRM programme is already in place, a focus of that programme was in obstetrics, which was often a huge issue in remote towns.

“We know that general practice is also a significant challenge in our regional communities, and it's a big part of our government's priorities to strengthen general practice so that people are able to see their doctor and their GP faster.

“So by integrating those services and running a different model of care, we're able to both strengthen our hospital-based care, but also our rural general practice, which is critically important for people to see their doctors.”

Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says being an accredited ACRRM training location means Taupō can attract both New Zealand and Australian registrars and graduates and provide an opportunity for some New Zealand doctors working overseas to return home during their training.

“One of the five priorities of the National Rural Health Strategy is to create a valued and flexible rural health workforce, and training young doctors as rural generalists directly supports this goal.

“Taupō Hospital’s new accreditation complements the existing pathway for New Zealand doctors through the New Zealand Rural Hospital Medicine Training Programme.”