Nobody wants “the most desirable job”

A small town medical practice in New Zealand has offered a $NZD400,000 (BD 0.1million) annual salary for a junior doctor to join but has had no applicants in two years.

Dr Alan Kenny, 61, who co-owns the practice in Tokoroa, a town on the North Island with a population of 13,600, has tried using four medical recruitment firms but failed to find a candidate.

He moved from Britain 30 years ago to take up the job.

"I love my work and I would like to stay but I hit my head against a brick wall trying to attract doctors,” Dr Kenny told The New Zealand Herald.

"Auckland has the biggest medical school and most kids who go to medical school come from wealthy families in the Auckland area. Last year, I cancelled a holiday because I couldn't get a locum ... and this year I am probably going to have to cancel a holiday ... and it's just tough for me."

The income for the current position is double that of the average salary for GPs in New Zealand and involves a four-day week with twelve weeks of annual leave.

Six doctors work at the practice but the only New Zealander is Dr Sarah Kenny, Dr Kenny’s daughter.

Once a bustling timber town, Tokoroa’s population has declined and it has been described as "the city that almost was". The unemployment rate is 22 per cent.

“It's fog-bound, venturing into the supermarket in pyjamas is secretly accepted and you can't travel far on a windy day without smelling the infamous Kinleith Mill,” said an article in Stuff online in 2014.

Dr Kenny said the clinic was growing and had 6,000 patients but he could not keep up with the workload. He promised that a junior doctor would not have to work at nights or on weekends.

"I can offer them a really, really amazing income; it's incredible,” he said.

“My practice has exploded in the last year and the more patients you list, the more money you get. But it just gets too much at the end of the day. Just because I earn lots of money doesn't mean I want to work (hard)."

Photo: Tokoroa, New Zealand