Junior doctor Mourin Das says after spending two years working in the UK and Australia as a registered doctor she thought getting her approval to practice in New Zealand would be a straightforward affair - but it wasn't. Photo: Stephen Forbes / Stuff
A junior doctor's fight to be able to practise in New Zealand has paid off after changes by the Medical Council.
Mourin Das said after spending two years working in the UK and Australia as a registered doctor, she thought getting approval to practice in New Zealand would be straightforward.
Last year Das and her husband bought a house in Papakura.
But in September the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) said she did not meet criteria to work.
Das did her medical training in her native Bangladesh, before spending 12 months working in emergency departments in the UK, where she was registered, and another year in Australia.
The Medical Council said the comparable health system pathway for registration, which Das had applied under, did not require the sitting and passing of an examination to gain registration.
Under the scheme, the applicant must have practised clinically for at least 33 months, for at least 20 hours per week, during the 48 months prior to application in one or more comparable health systems.
The applicant also had to have practised in the same area of medicine during the specified timeframe and Das failed to meet the criteria.
But Das said she was contacted by the Medical Council in October to say it was reconsidering her application.
She then received a new job offer from MidCentral Health in December and reapplied for her registration.
Das was contacted by the Medical Council this month to say her registration had been approved and she was given her practising certificate on 6 April and started work in Palmerston North Hospital last week.
Despite the fact she has had to move to a new city, she was happy to finally be able to work in her chosen profession.
"It hasn't been easy, but I thought I can't turn down this opportunity."
She said it was good to see the Medical Council has opened a new pathway for doctors who have passed the UK exam and have worked in the NHS to become registered in New Zealand.
Workforce shortages in the country's health system have been an ongoing problem throughout New Zealand.
A damning report into the Middlemore Hospital ED in October said the lack of staff in EDs was resulting in untenable workloads and leading to the increased burnout of doctors and nurses.
Medical Council of New Zealand chief executive Joan Simeon said while she could not comment on Das' individual circumstances, she confirmed she has now received registration.
Simeon said it was continually reviewing its pathways and processes.
That includes recently recognising overseas medical graduates, such as Das, who have passed the United Kingdom's General Medical Council exam.
The New Zealand government announced this month it had added 32 new health sector roles to the straight to residence pathway to help boost workforce levels.
"The green list now has a total of 48 health roles, all of which are nationally important and all of which will be on the straight to residence pathway," Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said.
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