Contrary to reports that junior doctors are leaving, the Canterbury District Health Board says it has a high number of junior doctors who want to work in the region. In fact, the DHB said that they received 205 applications for just 40 positions at Christchurch Hospital’s RMOs (Resident Medical Officers’) Unit. They said that reports that said 50 junior doctors left after the quakes were false and that the number of resignations this year were relatively consistent with last year’s numbers.

“It is very encouraging given what the region has been through in the last six months”, said unit manager Karen Schaab. “Day-to-day conversations with RMOs do not give us the impression that there are ‘50’ about to leave”. In fact, she said that she’s received a number of requests for extension of contracts of staff who are scheduled to finish their work with the Canterbury DHB in August.

The RMO Unit has also received a number of messages of support from doctors in Britain who will start working with them in August. Schaab said she hadn’t received any messages of withdrawals of people who have committed to start in August. For example, even though doctors Wendy McBurnie and Richard Clinghan went back to Scotland so they could get married, they both want to return to the Canterbury area to acquire residency to work in New Zealand.