New Zealand trains specialist brain doctors called neurologists, but loses them to private clinics or overseas jobs because there is no money to hire them in public hospitals.

A group called the Neurological Alliance, which speaks for 20 organisations dealing with stroke, dementia, Parkinson's and epilepsy, wants the government to pay for two extra public hospital neurology jobs every year. The Alliance represents about 1.5 million New Zealanders living with neurological conditions. Its campaign is called #Train5Keep5.

Neurologists are doctors who diagnose and treat conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord and nerves. The Alliance's chair, Rich Easton, said New Zealand trains five of them a year but only has funding for three to start work in the public health system. The other two have to find private work or leave the country. RNZ

Easton said the country has about 68 neurologists right now. He said 100 are needed to meet demand, and that will rise to 120 by 2036.

A University of Otago study counted 83 neurologists across public and private work in 2024, working out to 67.3 full-time roles. That study was published in a peer-reviewed journal and funded by the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists. University of Otago

The difference between the two counts — 68 versus 83 — comes down to different counting methods and dates, but both show the workforce is well short of what is needed.

Dr James Cleland, who chairs the Neurological Association representing neurologists, said the current workforce is getting older and needs to grow quickly. RNZ

The problem the Alliance points to is simple: the public system pays to train five neurologists a year, then has no jobs waiting for two of them. The #Train5Keep5 campaign wants the government to fund those two extra roles each year. The Alliance also wants a national plan to deal with growing demand out to 2036 and beyond.

The broader context is that neurological disease is not a small or standing-still problem. Recent global research showed brain and nerve diseases have overtaken cancer and heart disease in the burden they place on people's lives, measured in years lost to illness or early death. That means the shortage of neurologists is not a future problem to plan for slowly. It is a gap already pushing against rising demand. RNZ

Money for neurological research is also tight. The Neurological Foundation's 2021 report said research funding is hard to get in New Zealand and keeping skilled staff is an ongoing struggle. That year, the Foundation gave $223,385 to Alzheimer's research. Neurological Foundation

For people who plan the health workforce, these numbers are a familiar story. The country trains more specialists than it has jobs for. Two extra unfunded positions a year may not sound like much, but over the years it adds up to the shortfall being measured now. Easton's estimate of 120 neurologists needed by 2036 may even be on the low side, given the global disease data.

The Alliance's request is small in dollar terms — two more funded jobs a year. But it needs Health New Zealand and the Minister of Health to create positions that do not currently exist. A national workforce strategy would give neurology the same kind of planning already used for other specialist shortages in the public system.