December 08, 2023
Māori doctor numbers falling short
New research shows Māori and Pacific medical students remain underrepresented in Aotearoa New Zealand despite decades of efforts to boost their numbers.
The study published today in British Medical Journal Open comes as ACT is putting pressure on its coalition partners to end Māori and Pacific entry schemes at the Auckand and Otago medical schools.
Co-author and University of Auckland acting dean Warwick Bagg says to have the greatest positive impact on health outcomes, the population of doctors as a whole should mirror the society which they take an oath to serve.
The proportion of Māori doctors in New Zealand has increased from 2.3 percent in 2000 to 4.7 percent in 2023, well below the proportion of Māori in the population at 16.5 percent.
The study found poverty is a barrier to studying medicine across all demographic groups, and rural-background students are under-represented in medicine.