Concerns raised over minister's replacement of Medical Council leadership

27 minutes ago

Health Minister Simeon Brown has said the Medical Council has become "increasingly distracted by politics".

Photo: RNZ / Louis Dunham

The Minister of Health says he has declined to re-appoint the existing Medical Council chairperson Dr Rachelle Love and deputy chairperson Simon Watt when their terms expired, despite both remaining eligible for reappointment.

The Medical Council oversaw the registration of doctors in New Zealand, and set the standards for their medical practice.

A spokesperson for Simeon Brown said the Medical Council had become increasingly distracted by politics instead of focusing on its core responsibilities of improving patient outcomes and ensuring New Zealanders can get the care they need, when they need it.

They said Love and Watt had not been reappointed as members, and the council itself elects the chairperson and deputy. New members would be announced in due course.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton said the minister's move set a dangerous precedent in political interference with a regulatory body.

She said it was really concerning that the minister was expressing a preference around leadership because of the core work that the council was doing as a whole.

"The minister's comments and position he's adopted are borne out of his ignorance of what doctors need to know and what doctors need to do to operate safely and effectively in the New Zealand context.

"It's really disappointing that, if those views as reported are an accurate reflection of the minister's position, that's a massive cause for concern," she said.

Dalton said cultural competence was about making sure medical practitioners were aware of what their own assumptions and prejudices may be, and to ensure that they understood the context of their patients' lives.

The minister could benefit from education on these matters, she said.

Dalton said it was unprecedented for a health minister to ignore the recommendation of the Medical Council on these appointments.

She said ASMS was also deeply concerned by proposed changes to the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act, which she said would allow ministers to direct independent regulators to implement government policy.

"This approach could leave us in a situation where medical standards chop and change with every new government.

"It also sends a worrying signal to other regulators: if you don't do what the minister wants, your people will be replaced," she said.

Brown's spokesperson said it was not political interference for ministers to make ministerial appointments.

"Ministers want to see the council focus on improving the timely delivery of health services that New Zealanders expect, without distraction from any other agendas."

They said amendments to the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act, which would be subject to a full select committee process, were to ensure health workforce regulation aligned with patient needs and the Government's priorities for the health system.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.