In light of the latest media article about Dr Lucas Rakasz (Stuff​, NZ Herald​, ODT​, RNZ), I started this petition to state some facts and demand a change from the Medical Council of New Zealand. The Ministry of Health, Southern DHB and Canterbury DHBs should come together and solve the issue of understaffing in Neurosurgery in Dunedin and address the wider problem of lack of specialists in New Zealand.

SPECIFIC ISSUE: There is a qualified neurosurgeon who settled in Dunedin 2 years ago, he is keen to live and work here but is prevented by the Medical Council New Zealand. We cannot blame him for not wanting to be a registrar forever (a "trainee" - he was actually one in the Waikato DHB from 2013 to 2015) as he was a specialist (teaching & supervising "trainees" in the UK). Good on him for taking the Medical Council to the NZ Court for transparency and to have his questions answered!

We should not let Dr Lucas Rakasz leave NZ. If he is well regarded by the British NHS he is good enough for the Southern DHB. Let's remember that he actually trained in NZ for 2 years and is a permanent resident, so there are no other issues. His references are excellent too:

"He had high-level support from some of the most prominent surgeons in the biggest units in the country, and the level and extent of his training is unimpeachable," - Alistair Jenkins, president of the British Neurosurgical Society

Is there a bigger problem?  Definitely YES, because:

1) The are not enough neurosurgeons in New Zealand right now. South Island Neurosurgery Post Implementation Review from April 2019 (page 29) states: Low income countries typically have in the region of 0.3 neurosurgeons per 100,000 population, with high income countries closer to 1 per 100,000. New Zealand’s
23 neurosurgeons represent approximately 0.46 per 100,000. For reference, England has about 0.49, Australia about 0.55, Scotland 0.56 and Canada 0.9. Take to account that there are different system and different density of populations in various countries.

2) New Zealand does not train and qualify their own neurosurgeons. South Island Neurosurgery Post Implementation Review from April 2019 (page 30) states:  There are currently no New Zealand trainees on the Australasian training
scheme, and there has been none for several years.

3) Southern DHB and the Dunedin hospital has only 1 neurosurgeon out of 3 planned positions. You can read more in this ODT article.

4) People are dying due to lack of service. See this Stuff article from 2019.

SOLUTION: New Zealand can either train more neurosurgeons (long term solution) or let qualified doctors from overseas work now.

STRUCTURAL PROBLEM What is going on? Why NZ does not let more specialists in the short term and train more for the long term? What's wrong with the Medical Council's processes, transparency and conditions?

The case of Dr Lucas Rakasz is not an individual case. Good on him for having the stubbornness to fight when others would not. Senior Doctors in New Zealand
Securing the future report from 2009 stated this issue (on page 31). What has happened since then?

The Medical Council is responsible for the registration of doctors and issuing of annual practising certificates. Its empowering legislation, the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act 2003, gives it considerable autonomy as to how it carries out these functions. 

The SMO Commission received consistent and uniform feedback from SMOs that IMG registration processes are complex, unclear and cumbersome to the extent that people:
� were put off from considering New Zealand as a potential destination because it is much less user friendly than other registration processes
� became frustrated with the initial registration process, lack of courtesy, and long delays and withdrew their applications and/or accepted other positions
� left positions in frustration at not being able to achieve full registration within an appropriate scope of practice (ie, aligned with their previous qualifications and experience).