News & updates
Please find our most recent news and updates below. Use the dropdown at the top of the list to filter it to a specific type of update.
If you still don't see what you're looking for, check Publications.
On 19 March 2020 we activated a special purpose scope of practice - the COVID-19 Pandemic scope of practice. Today we are extending the expiry date of this scope out to 31 March 2021.
Thank you for considering the Medical Council of New Zealand’s (Council) recent consultation on the proposed increases to the 2020/2021 practising certificate (PC) Fee and disciplinary levy, and to the many individuals and organisations who made submissions.
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the extraordinary demands on medical staff combined with tight overseas travel restrictions, the Medical Council of New Zealand, together with the Confederation of Postgraduate Medical Education Councils (CPMEC), has decided to postpone this year’s ANZPMEF to 2021.
The Medical Council thanks all doctors for the essential services you are providing to help Aotearoa New Zealand through the COVID-19 pandemic.
This COVID-19 update was sent to all PGY1 and PGY2 doctors by Council's CE Joan Simeon on 1 April 2020.
Council recognises that we need to be flexible in our approach around a range of issues. We understand that there is a lot of concern within colleges, recertification providers and members of the profession about the need to meet recertification requirements. Therefore Council has made some decisions related to this to provide clarity to you and to the profession
Council's Chair, Dr Curtis Walker, sent the email below to all practising doctors on 26 March 2020. This was a follow-up to the previous update on 25 March and provided additional clarification around prescribing and telehealth.
The Medical Council recognises the vital role that doctors have in the COVID-19 pandemic. With the escalation to COVID-19 alert level 4, Council has received many enquiries on a number of issues. We outline these issues and our advice for doctors in this update.
The COVID-19 Pandemic scope of practice is intended to be used for disasters or pandemics. The decision to activate this scope was made with the Ministry of Health to assure the protection of the public and to assist with the COVID-19 response where we can.
In this special edition of Medical Council News there is an important message from the Ministry of Health around COVID-19. We also offer guidance for doctors for doctors working with potential COVID-19 patients, talk about our new "Naming Policy", and discuss the process we follow when we're notified of conduct or competence concerns.
Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared a Public Health Emergency. On this page you can read more about doctors roles and responsibilities in times of an emergency situation such as a pandemic.
The Medical Council of New Zealand is excited to be hosting the Australian and New Zealand Prevocational Medical Education Forum in Auckland in October 2020. The call for abstracts is now open!
The Medical Council has decided to put in place extra protections at the next Medical Council of New Zealand Registration Examination (NZREX) following the outbreak of coronavirus. NZREX brings people together from all over the world. These protections are necessary to ensure the health and wellbeing of all the people we work with to run this examination.
The Medical Council of New Zealand Chair, Dr Curtis Walker, said today that imposing closely monitored strict conditions on the practice of the doctor who was found to have performed unjustified clinical examinations on a number of woman patient’s breasts was entirely appropriate and necessary.