April 02, 2024
Med school quotas add cultural competence says Reti
Health Minister Shane Reti says a review of medical school admission schemes isn’t being done as a prelude to getting rid of preferential access for Māori.
Dr Reti, who gained entry to medical school under the scheme, says he wants to know whether the programmes are working as intended.
There could also be room for improvement.
“Because we all want an intake, we all want those doctors and nurses out in the community who roughly refelct the demographics of the community. That is a good thing. That’s what helps build cultural competence which improves oucomes,” Dr Reti says.
Preferential entry schemes are an important part of addressing health workforce shortages, which remains his priority.