Flinders University professor of paediatrics and child health Kevin Forsyth says New Zealand needs to do more to curb its reliance on overseas trained doctors.

​A Waikato med school is needed to help break New Zealand's chronic dependence on foreign trained doctors, says a leading Australian academic.

New Zealand-born Flinders University Professor Kevin Forsyth said the country's reliance on overseas-trained doctors is causing alarm internationally and puts New Zealand in a moral predicament.

The proposed Waikato med school aims to reverse a shortage of doctors in rural and high health needs communities. The bid, a joint initiative by Waikato University and the Waikato District Health Board, is being considered by the Government.

SUPPLIED Waikato University professor of population health Ross Lawrenson.

Each year, New Zealand recruits 1100 foreign doctors to plug the gaps in its health workforce.

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Forsyth, who is associate dean of Flinders' medical course, said New Zealand is contributing to an international brain drain which see doctors from developing countries lured overseas to work.

SUPPLIED New Zealander Nicola Rowe is studying toward a doctor of medicine at Flinders University in South Australia.

"New Zealand has the worst medical workforce in the world because it's got the highest number of overseas doctors practising per capita in the OECD," he said.

"New Zealand is top of the league table."

Forsyth, a professor of paediatrics and child health in Adelaide, works with the World Health Organisation in the area of global health workforce needs.

Internationally, there is deep concern about the practice of developed countries taking doctors from poorer nations.

"I was speaking with a professor of paediatrics in Sri Lanka about the problem of the global health brain drain and he broke down in tears," Forsyth said.

"You've got very poor people who are paying their taxes to support the training of these doctors so they can go back and work in these communities, but what's happening is these doctors are going overseas to work.

"New Zealand is saying thank you very much, we'll take these doctors, but we're not going to pay for their training, that's your country's burden.

"New Zealand is denying overseas populations of their health workforce so they can prop up their own. What's that? That's reverse aid."

Waikato University Professor of population health Ross Lawrenson​ said an OECD report from 2008 highlighted New Zealand's reliance on overseas doctors as an issue of concern.

Although a large number of foreign doctors working in the country are from the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, New Zealand did import doctors from developing countries.

Moral arguments aside, it is better for New Zealanders to be treated by doctors who are familiar with the country's environment and culture, Lawrenson said.

"If these countries are training their doctors for their own environment, then they're being plonked into working with Kiwi patients, I don't think that's the best outcome for Kiwis, particularly our most vulnerable communities, who are Maori, our elderly, and our mental health patients. I think it's really important that doctors understand the environment they're living in."

New Zealand-born Nicola Rowe is studying medicine at Flinders University in South Australia and understands people's moral objection to New Zealand taking doctors from developing countries.

However, the flip side is New Zealand medical graduates often go overseas to further their training or careers.

"New Zealand is a relatively poor country, sitting in the bottom half of the OECD.

"Does Australia or the United States have a moral obligation to decline to accept us for training, although we are the brightest and best and want to train in the best environment?

"I understand the argument, but we wouldn't like it if other countries shut us out on a moral altruism basis, which is it would be better for us if they didn't let us in."

Forsyth said doctors who understand the communities they work in are better able to influence and improve the health choices of people.

"A lot of medicine isn't some fancy high-tech stuff, it's actually about relating to people. I think New Zealand does need a new model. It's certainly time to get away from two big centres training all the doctors through one paradigm."

* Aaron Leaman and Christel Yardley travelled to South Australia as part of a Fairfax NZ-funded trip to examine Flinders University's rural medical programme.