Urologist Shortage Extends Beyond Southland, College Says

The shortage of urologists is a national issue, not just a Southland issue, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons says.

College chairperson Dr Sharon English told RNZ's Morning Report that Tauranga Hospital regularly uses locum urologists to fill gaps. She said Nelson Hospital does the same RNZ. Locums are fully trained specialists on short-term contracts, like relief teachers covering a roster.

Southland has no permanent full-time urologist. Documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act show Health New Zealand sent some Southland urology patients as far as Christchurch for care. The same documents show it offered locums $3,000 a day during the gap in permanent cover RNZ.

Day-to-day cover at Southland Hospital has depended on locums and doctors from Dunedin, according to reporting in July The Press. English's comments, reported on 1 October 2026, put that arrangement in a wider staffing context.

Health New Zealand said Southland urology patients were waiting longer than it wanted. It said patients were triaged according to need and wait time. It said it was committed to strengthening its urology workforce.

On supply, English said New Zealand has lost a number of urology trainees to Australia in recent years after they went overseas for extra specialist training. She did not give a figure for those departures or for current vacancies by district, in the material reported.

The broader context here is one health staff will know well. A service with no permanent specialist must manage patient safety, waiting lists and public information at the same time. Locums keep the roster covered. Transfers to other hospitals keep treatment going. Both add cost and travel for patients and whānau, particularly between centres.

Looking at what this means for decision-makers, the questions are practical. The first is duration. Short-term locum cover and help from a neighbouring centre can hold a service, but the longer it becomes the usual setup the more focus turns to recruitment, retention and training numbers. The second is spread. If Tauranga and Nelson also use locums routinely, planners must manage a thin national pool, not just fill posts in Southland. The third is the training pipeline. Losing trainees after overseas fellowships points to a retention risk at the point where New Zealand-trained doctors can most easily move.

Looking ahead, nothing in the statements reported so far settles those questions. The College has described the scope of the shortage. Health New Zealand has described its triage approach and its workforce commitment. For Ministers, officials and select committee scrutiny, the next test will be specific: what permanent appointments are made, where, and how waiting times respond.