Self-isolation better way
Scrapping MIQ requirements from next month means vet clinics can plan ahead with certainty, says recruiter Julie South, VetStaff.
Julie South, whose company VetStaff specialises in recruiting vets, says getting more overseas vets into New Zealand is the best solution.
She says that despite the Government’s decision to grant exemptions to 30 large/production animal veterinarians in September 2020, the shortage is still severe.
“For example, one clinic in Canterbury is a ‘five vet clinic’. Right now, they’re trying to get by on two vets,” South told Rural News.
“This puts a huge burden on everyone.”
She reckons that one of the major problems is that the majority of New Zealand vets are companion animal vets, for cats and dogs.
“So, straight away, this means there are fewer production animal vets available to work in the rural areas.”
However, South believes there is no immediate solution to the problem without bringing overseas vets into the country.
“In the longer term, uptraining and upskilling veterinary nurses and veterinary technicians to be able to do more…will help.
“But that’s not an immediate fix, although it is a step in the right direction.”
She says that doubling intake at Massey University – the country’s only vet programme – is not an immediate fix either.
“Even if Massey took, say, 400 students in 2022 so that 200 could graduate, the benefit of that isn’t going to be felt until the end of this decade – because it takes five years of study plus three years before veterinarians are fully able to work unsupervised.”
New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) chief executive Kevin Bryant says the current shortage is not sustainable for the profession.
He says that extended hours and increased workloads have led to the current shortage with the physical and mental health of their veterinarians, contributing to burn out.
“In some instances, this has led to veterinarians exiting the profession, thus creating a larger shortage,” Bryant explains.
He says that in the long term, NZVA is concerned that animal welfare may be compromised and that there will be an impact on farmers who can’t get the advice they need.
“In the short term, veterinarians are stretching to meet the need,” he says.
Bryant told Rural News that the situation has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the border restrictions imposed because of it.
NZVA data indicates that New Zealand needs an additional 120 veterinarians on top of the 30 who have already been granted entry into the country.
“We would also like the Government to streamline the approval process,” Bryant says.
