Chair's update

Nau mai ki tēnei pūrongo i te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa,

COVID-19 vaccination statement
This week, the Medical Council and Dental Council have issued a joint statement providing guidance for medical and dental practitioners around COVID-19 vaccination.

As frontline workers, doctors play a critical role in protecting public health and safety and we strongly encourage doctors to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their patients, and communities from COVID-19.

Please read the Statement in full or visit the Ministry’ of Health’s website for more information about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Health system reforms
Last week the Minister of Health, Hon. Andrew Little, announced details of the much-anticipated overhaul of New Zealand’s health system. Two new agencies are to be introduced – Health New Zealand to oversee our health system and a Māori Health Authority, tasked with commissioning services to improve health outcomes for Māori.

We support a health system that delivers equity in healthcare and culturally safe care for Māori and all New Zealanders, and look forward to working with medical professionals and health sector partners to achieve these goals.

Noho ora mai,

Dr Curtis Walker
Chair

Chief Executive's update

Online supervision reports for international medical graduates
We have recently launched an online supervision portal for international medical graduates (IMGs) new to practice in Aotearoa, and required to work under supervision. The portal is designed to improve efficiency in the way we go about collecting supervision reports for IMGs.

All new IMGs gaining registration will use the portal, with their supervisors completing the required supervision reports online. Over the coming weeks we will migrate IMGs who are already registered to the new portal.

The portal is designed to be easy-to-use and has the advantage of having a built-in notification system to remind supervisors and IMGs when reports are due. The portal also means that Council will receive the reports immediately, cutting out some of the administration involved.

Supervisors and IMGs can access the portal through their MyMCNZ account. We have updated our website’s guidance on working under supervision with a detailed step by step guide for supervisors on how to complete the reports.

We would welcome an opportunity to demonstrate this new portal and will be running webinars for supervisors on how to complete supervision reports online. These webinars will cover the process on how to access, complete and submit supervision reports. We are emailing supervisors directly with further details.

If you wish to access a webinar or if you have any questions about online supervision reporting, please contact:

Nisha Patel, Manager, Registration; npatel@mcnz.org.nz; 04 381 6992
Harin Gill, Team Leader, General Registration; hgill@mcnz.org.nz; 04 381 6994
Chris Jenkinson, Team Leader, Vocational Registration; cjenkinson@mcnz.org.nz; 04 381 6811

I would like to take this opportunity to thank supervisors for the important contribution made to support IMGs to integrate into practice in Aotearoa.

Joan Simeon
Chief Executive

2021 election results

Thank you to all who took the time to vote in our recent elections for four medical members to join Council governance. We congratulate the successful candidates who are all current Council members:

•   Dr Stephen Child
•   Dr Ainsley Goodman
•   Dr Pamela Hale
•   Dr Curtis Walker (Chair)

These names have been provided to Hon Andrew Little, Minister of Health, who will make the final appointments. Once confirmed, the members will take up their positions for a 3-year term from 1 July 2021.

Seeking your feedback...

We are seeking your feedback on our Statement about conducting medical assessments for third parties.

We are encouraging a more patient-centred approach, and placing emphasis on the importance of clearer communication, so there is a better understanding of the purpose of the assessment and the doctor’s role. We have also included clear guidance about bringing a support person to the assessment, and retaining documentation from the assessment.

We look forward to hearing from you. Your feedback is very important to us.

The consultation will be open until 7 June 2021.

Australian and New Zealand Prevocational Education Forum - save the date

We are calling for abstracts for this year’s Australian and New Zealand Prevocational Medical Education Forum (ANZPMEF).

The theme is ‘Travelling forward together - He waka eke noa.’

We look forward to discussing prevocational education and training: transitions and innovations; health equity and cultural safety; and professionalism and wellbeing.

If you would like to contribute visit the ANZPMEF website.

This year’s forum will be held virtually from 18 – 19 October 2021 – please save these dates in your diary.

Cheque-based payments

With most New Zealand banks phasing out cheques over the coming months, we will no longer be accepting cheques after 31 May. Please use either online banking or credit card payments for Medical Council transactions.

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