New Zealand Pharmacist Workforce Shortages Hit Critical Levels

In recent months, New Zealand has seen an alarming decline in pharmacists available to work in our hospitals and other healthcare facilities. With the demand for pharmaceutical services growing with each passing day, this significant shortage of personnel is now putting a strain on the entire healthcare system.

Supermarket chain Countdown has confirmed it had closed some pharmacies indefinitely due to pharmacist shortages, and twenty more pharmacies are currently operating with reduced operating hours due to workforce shortages.

In light of these circumstances, it’s become increasingly crucial for the Government to take action and invest in patient-centred initiatives such as improved wages and better working conditions for existing pharmacists and offering incentives for students looking to pursue pharmacy degrees. Such measures will help ensure that more skilled professionals are available to help meet patient needs on time.

It is also crucial that steps be taken to provide further support and resources to existing pharmacists and those just entering the workforce. By doing so, we can all play our part in helping alleviate the current pharmacist shortages and create a healthier future for everyone.

The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said NZ employers could recruit pharmacists through the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme if they wanted to. In addition, qualified pharmacists are also likely to be eligible for the Skilled Migrant Category criteria, which is expected to be updated mid-2023 by Immigration New Zealand (INZ).