What a Nats/ACT coalition could mean for Waikato med school plans

When a political party makes a promise, it is often contingent on a view of the world calculated in a particular way.

When the National Party promised in July a $380m medical school at the University of Waikato, talk of potential coalition partners was distant.

Now, as the election looms The Waikato TImes asked National’s possible partner - the ACT party - whether they’re prepared to accept the costly scheme in a potential coalition negotiation.

According to the party’s deputy leader, Brooke van Velden, the party is unconvinced by National’s calculus.

“We need to make every health dollar go further at this point. We’re not convinced that establishing a whole new medical school is a better option than expanding the two we already have. However, we’re open to listening to both sides.”

Thought to be a fillip for Waikato voters who rarely have policy tailored to the region, National promised the medical school would see an additional 220 doctors a year graduating via Waikato by 2030.

According to Te Whatu Ora (the health authority), an additional 1600 new workers are needed across the health system simply to maintain current staffing relative to the population.

A further 8000 nurses and 3400 doctors would be needed on top of that over the next decade.

Van Velden says her party’s solution comes at the border.

“We will create an easier pathway for doctors trained in comparable overseas jurisdictions to practise in New Zealand, increase GP funding by 13%, the equivalent of 2.5 million GP visits per year, enable physician assistants to take on less complex tasks to take pressure off GPs, and give the Minister of Health the ability to override unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy,” she says.

Asked if the medical school would be a sticking point for her party in potential negotiations, she said cooperation will come first.

“Both ACT and National have demonstrated a shared commitment to tackling New Zealand’s health workforce issues..”

Given current polling, NZ First would also likely receive a call from the National Party on Sunday, adding another perspective to the medical school fray.

NZ First were approached on several occasions to contribute their thoughts to this story, but no response was provided.