National 27 February 2018
Dear Member,

Welcome to the 3rd issue for 2018 of ASMS Direct, our national electronic publication.

You can also keep in touch with the latest news and views on health issues relevant to public hospital specialists via our website www.asms.nz, which contains links (at the top of the home page) to our Facebook and LinkedIn pages, as well as our quarterly magazine The Specialist. We’re also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ASMSNZ.

Medical Council election – remember to vote

A reminder to vote in the Medical Council election from Chair Andrew Connolly.

Voting closes at noon on Friday 23 March 2018, with a field of 21 candidates standing for four positions.

“The council elections are important as we need a strong and effective Council – one both the public and profession can have confidence in,” he says in an open letter to doctors.

The full list of confirmed candidates is available online at https://www.mcnz.org.nz/assets/News-and-Publications/Media/MCNZ-Notice-of-Confirmed-Candidates-2018.pdf.

ASMS encourages all members to exercise their right to vote. The right of doctors to elect from the medical profession some of the Council members was taken away in the early 2000s and reinstated at the end of the decade.  It is important if any future attempt to remove this right is to be prevent that there is a good voting turnout from the profession.  ASMS along with others including NZMA fought hard to get this right reinstated and would not want to see this work undone.


Kind regards

Ian Powell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR