Dermatology sector suffering 'massive unmet need' due to lack of dermatologists

Eight years after the Government was first warned of a gaping hole in the dermatology sector healthcare workers say the situation has spread beyond crisis point.

With only a small number of full-time specialists, the public and private sectors are simply "not coping" with the community's growing needs and crying out for a cure.

Red, itchy and swollen on the surface but for dermatitis sufferer Geoff Reece, the ongoing impact of his chronic skin condition runs much deeper.

"How it is at the moment, I cannot do even tasks at home let alone work, go to work and do anything," Reece told Newshub.

He's been living with occupational dermatitis for almost five years.

"It is painful yes, especially with water and having showers it can be restless at night and sometimes I have to put my hands in the freezer to cool them down."

Yet he's still waiting to see a specialist - until then he is unable to work and relies on ACC.

"My doctor has referred me to lots of dermatologists including the hospital which just sent a letter back saying they couldn't do anything at this stage and all the other dermatologists are either retired, closed books or they just deal with other parts of dermatology."

He's not the only one suffering, one expert says there's a "massive unmet need", particularly in the South Island. 

"We have virtually no dermatologists in the South Island, none working in the public hospitals in the South Island, and we have about a third of the number of dermatologists that international statistics suggest we should have," Salaried Medical Specialist's association executive director Sarah Dalton told Newshub.

That recommendation is one full-time public dermatologist per 80,000 people in New Zealand which equates to 64 specialists.

In reality, New Zealand has just 18 meaning our ratio is one per 280,000.

Compare that to Australia which has one dermatologist for every 46,000 people. 

Christchurch-based dermatologist Grant Bellaney said our needs like Australia are even greater due to high rates of skin cancer.

"We're having about 400 people a year die of melanoma and the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma particularly in its early stages is a huge part of dermatology, especially in its early stages, and it should be, but that's gonna become harder and harder to be seen by a dermatologist for skin surveillance now," Bellaney said.

The profession has finally been added to the country's skills shortages list but it's proving difficult to increase the workforce.

"We simply don't have enough accredited training centres or specialists doctors to oversee that training to support it to happen," Dalton said.

Bellaney said the process for attracting skilled workers from overseas also needs to be reviewed and with urgency.

Health Minister Andrew Little said the Government is doing everything it can to address the issue.

"There's a worldwide shortage of dermatologists. We're competing with everybody else, as I understand when I look at the efforts made to recruit we are doing everything we can."

"It's very easy for a health system to measure and record death but it's not so easy for a health system to measure and record morbidity or the burden of skin disease and how much it's affecting people's lives," Bellaney told Newshub.