Third Medical School An Expensive 'shag On A Rock' Says Ex Dean

Dr Max Abbott CNZM, retired Dean of Health Sciences at AUT and long-time board member and deputy chair of Waitemata District Health Board, says a third medical school at Waikato would be a "shag on a rock" and will not address pressing health workforce needs.

"Taking a long view there is merit in establishing a four year medical programme with an emphasis on primary care, but the announced cost appears excessive and the decision-making regarding its location should be open and contestable."

Dr Abbott said while most media attention is given to doctors and nurses, they are just two of the 30 or so health professions and occupations. He said there are critical workforce shortages in many of them.

He said the $300 million or so in capital funding announced for the proposed new school would be much better invested immediately to expand the health workforce across the board. This might include a collaborative proposal put forward by the Universities of Otago and Auckland, AUT and rural health providers to boost rural health professional recruitment and retention and promote interprofessional practice.

"There is no doubt that doctors are in short supply, especially in areas such as primary care and outside major cities. However, the two existing medical schools have massively increased their intakes and are about to increase them again. When these students graduate it may well be a challenge to find clinical placements for them."

He said that while recruitment of doctors and other health professionals was a challenge, workforce shortfalls were at least as much due to attrition. An ageing workforce and inadequate salaries and conditions were major factors.

"While we require more doctors there is a potential downside, especially if we over-supply. It can take the focus away from other health professions and thwart innovation and more cost-effective alternatives. Nurses and other health professionals play critical roles and there is huge potential to further extend their scopes of practice and enhance interprofessional care in multidisciplinary teams."

The University of Waikato Vice Chancellor has said that having a medical school would drive overall University funding, research, philanthropy and global rankings.

Dr Abbott said while it was likely there would be benefits for the University there are downsides to locating a medical programme there. He said that apart from huge up-front costs, it would be a shag on a rock.

"The University has virtually no other health education programmes. It is critical that medical students engage with students in other health disciplines during and after their education. There is also potential for significant resource sharing and other benefits."

"The Waikato Vice Chancellor has said the first student intake could be in 2027. This means the first cohort would graduate by the end of 2031. Looking out this far I share his view that more medical graduates will be required and having a third medical programme along the lines proposed makes sense. However, the location should be decided through a transparent, contestable process."

"Despite my reservations, Waikato has put a commendable amount of work into this and would be a strong contender. AUT, the largest provider of health professional education, may be interested. It has facilities that should reduce set-up costs. Massey, with veterinary science and a few health programmes, might also be interested and Victoria and Canterbury both have existing programmes that would provide some synergies with medicine."

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