Ophthalmology New Zealand (ONZ) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) continue to push for an expansion of registrar training in private practice to alleviate the pressure on the ophthalmology workforce by producing more locally trained ophthalmologists.
A proposition currently under review by Health New Zealand’s (HNZ’s) board may serve as a new national framework for private registrar training and would require partial funding for one new position immediately. The costs for the training positions would be shared by the private practice and HNZ.
“Unfortunately, the demand for eyecare is increasing faster than the rate at which ophthalmologists are being trained,” said ONZ chair Dr Sonya Bennett.
“One new position is a start, but the number of training positions is going to need to steadily increase if we’re going to meet demand. Discussing this with ONZ members up and down the country, we think there is an opportunity to create another 10 training positions within the private sector. Ophthalmologists working in the private sector are keen to help with the training – it doesn’t increase their profit, in fact it probably means less profit, however we are looking at the bigger picture and willing to contribute to improve it.
