Two-Thirds of Overseas-Trained Specialists Exit NZ Within Five Years, Worsening Rural Gaps

A severe shortage of medical specialists is gripping New Zealand, with only 44 active specialists per 100,000 residents versus 66 in Australia, according to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). The RACP notes that just 28% of overseas-trained specialists remain after five years, while 85% of domestically trained doctors stay, contributing to high referral rejection rates—about one in five in some districts—and only 61% of patients receiving a first specialist assessment within the recommended four months.

Rural regions, home to 16% of the population, have merely 1% of RACP physicians, leaving large swaths of the country as "specialist deserts." Pay disparities, such as senior internal medicine specialists earning less than junior consultants in Australia, and inadequate induction and support further drive attrition, exemplified by recent resignations at regional hospitals. The college calls for a 10-year National Health Workforce Plan, enhanced rural training, and sustained investment in recruitment and retention. The government points to an existing workforce plan, a new medical school at Waikato University focused on rural training, and a $6 million Rural Recruitment and Locum Support Service as steps toward addressing the crisis.