Council's Health Committee

The Council's Health Committee aims to help doctors to manage their health. Where possible, the Committee will assist doctors to keep in practice. However, the Committee’s first objective is to protect the public and, second, to address doctors’ health issues.

The programme for managing unwell doctors

In managing an unwell doctor, the Committee will typically include one or more of the following:

• limiting doctor’s practice to a certain discipline or location
• requiring the doctor’s practice to be supervised
• requiring the doctor to undergo therapy
• carrying out random urine and occasional blood testing to check for the presence of drugs or alcohol
• requiring the doctor’s own general practitioner to provide regular supervision
• imposing prescribing restrictions
• requiring the doctor to attend peer support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous
• appointing a senior practitioner as a ‘mentor’.

Useful forms and information

The following items are available:

• Are you a doctor with a health problem or do you know a doctor with a health problem?
• Steps taken when a doctor is notified to the Medical Council
• Statement on transmissible Major Viral Infections (doctors’ rights and responsibilities if exposed or infected)  
• Doctor's health

Enquiries

Please email health@mcnz.org.nz for further information about doctors’ health.