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Lee Kenny · 05:00, Jun 12 2021
SUPPLIED
The University of Otago withheld graduation for 51 medical students who were found to have not
completed their final year hospital internships.
A whistle-blower was right to reveal some University of Otago medical students had
faked their reports to go on holiday, the university's acting vice-chancellor says. LEE
KENNY reports.
Being a whistle-blower is never easy.
Trembling with nerves they alleged a small number of trainee doctors at University of
Otago had misled their tutors and falsified internship documents so they could go on
long overseas holidays.
The rort had gone on for years, with some interns choosing certain medical centres in
Belize, Bosnia and Italy where paperwork could be signed-off without having to
complete work placements.
“This group lied to the medical school about it in interviews, faked elective reports and
covered for each other with more lies,” the whistle-blower claimed.
READ MORE:
* 'Broad and detailed' investigation into Otago medical students scam still not started,
a year after being announced
* Overseas electives could be cut following Otago student rort
* Placement scam medical students 'let off with a slap on the wrist'
* Auckland medical students to face scrutiny after Otago students faked placements
* Medical student overseas placement holiday rort 'widespread' - GP
This was in October 2019 and, following inquiries by Stuff, a spokeswoman said the
university was “taking these concerns seriously”.
A report this week said the number of Otago medical students “at one particular site”
shot up from two in 2016 to 37 in 2019.
Far from being an in-house matter, the students each received a $26,756 government
stipend to fund their final year of study, including travel for work placements.
If the allegations were true, the students likely used public money to fund their holidays.
Not trying to make things awkward, but…
Following a formal investigation, the university wrote to 15 Christchurch-based trainee
You're
probably
thinking, 'this
is another
call from
me for money'.
interns, who were
found
to have submitted
misleading
reports
aboutStuff
theirasking
overseas
And you're totally right. But hear us out. The stories you read here cost time and
elective placements.
resources to make. So we’re asking those who read them to contribute
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MEDIAWORKS
Otago Medical School Dean Barry Taylor speaks to media about trainee interns who submitted false
work placements.
At the time, Education Minister Chris Hipkins told RNZ the students had “abused trust”
and “acted in a way that's dishonest”.
In the end, 51 students admitted or were found to have committed the same misconduct.
The students were required to complete additional work and were not allowed to
graduate with the rest of their class.
About this time, Stuff was contacted by former medical students, many now practising
doctors and consultants, who said the scam also happened in earlier years. One claimed
it had been going on for decades.
An angry parent said the 2019 cohort were being scapegoated, while Steve Elers, a
senior lecturer at Massey University, said the scam should become a police matter given
public money was involved.
National MP Shane Reti – who is a practising doctor – was among those who backed
calls for a full inqury.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins says students “abused trust”.
ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF
Education Minister Chris Hipkins says students “abused trust”.
An investigation was launched and Otago Medical School graduates from 2015 to 2019
were invited to get in contact.
“It seems highly likely that less than 11 weeks of attendance in clinical placements was
indeed happening prior to 2019,” the report released on Wednesday concluded.
The students “fell into two broad types”.
There were those who “took more time off than was permitted” and minimised or
misrepresented that in their reports.
Then were students
“premeditated
planned”
their trip with
the “intent of
Notwho
trying
to makeand
things
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insufficient elective attendance and of misrepresenting this in their reports”.
You're probably thinking, 'this is another call from Stuff asking me for money'.
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However, it was financially.
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Students arranged their own placements, but there were few checks to confirm that they
actually attended the hospital they selected.
education
The University of Otago held an internal inquiry before commissioning an independent investigation.
SHARRON BENNETT/STUFF
The University of Otago held an internal inquiry before commissioning an independent investigation.
The report panel received “consistent accounts” from people who heard of unnamed
students who had not attended 11 weeks of an elective module.
Student numbers at “one particular site” rose by 35 in three years, suggesting it was a
“rapidly increasing destination of choice”.
The university collated destination date for insurance purposes, but did not analyse it.
“Had this analysis been done routinely, it is possible questions would have been raised
about why the location in question was proving so popular in 2018 or even 2017.”
There were also no electronic systems in place to identify the exact dates and locations
of each student’s placements, who their overseas supervisor was or even the person’s
contact details.
The exact circumstances of how so many students were able to game the system have
never emerged but what is known is that many attended placements in the same Eastern
European country.
The university will not disclose which country it was, but it is likely it was Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Number of University of Otago medical student elective internships
in each country during 2019
Some students spent placements in multiple countries or in multiple places in each country.
If a student did a placement in two countries, they are counted for both countries.
Map: Steven Walton • Source: University of Otago
Figures obtained under Official Information Act show a significant increase in Otago
student placements
the Balkan
state: from
10 in 2017
to 40 in 2018.
Notintrying
to make
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awkward,
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August 2019. And you're totally right. But hear us out. The stories you read here cost time and
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we’re asking
who
read them
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The Faculty of Medicine
University
Sarajevo
boaststhose
modern
facilities
and has
trained
financially. What do you reckon, NZ?
doctors for 70 years.
Taida Nakić at Faculty of Medicine University of Sarajevo told Stuff they were “very sorry
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I’ve already supported.
y
y
j
y
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to hear that medical students faked their elective placement reports”.
national
“We know that [a] certain number of students just drop out. Either they contact us and
inform that they changed the elective, or they just do not come
to Sarajevo.”
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Thirty-one Otago medical students travelled to Italy in 2019. Twelve went to Belize.
The historic city of Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, traditionally attracts tourists from around the
world.
MARCO SECCHI/GETTY IMAGES
The historic city of Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, traditionally attracts tourists from around the
world.
The figures correspond with the allegations made to Stuff in 2019.
In international circles Belize was known to be a place where medical students could go
to have their documents falsified.
One local fixer said trainee doctors could have their documents faked for about $300
before being taken on a tour of the hospital for photos in gowns and scrubs.
No evidence has emerged that Otago students paid money to have paperwork signedoff.
The panel found, “no grounds for believing any staff of the Medical School encouraged
unethical behaviour”, but the “systems in place were ill‐equipped to deal with such
behaviour”.
It also heard evidence from one Otago Medical School staff member who said a graduate
from several years before 2019 “confessed they had not attended any part of the
elective” and that they had heard other students had done similar things.
The staff member took this information to senior leadership at the time, but no action
was taken.
Although the panel did not identify specific cases of insufficient elective attendance
before 2019, the University of Otago has repaid the Tertiary Education Commission
$156,178, which is a proportion of the Trainee Intern grant it received and disbursed to
students in previous years.
Not trying to make things awkward, but…
You're probably thinking, 'this is another call from Stuff asking me for money'.
And you're totally right. But hear us out. The stories you read here cost time and
University of Otago acting vice-chancellor professor Helen Nicholson says the whistle-blower was
resources
to make. So we’re asking those who read them to contribute
right to speak out about the medical student placements.
financially. What do you reckon, NZ?
SUPPLIED
University of Otago acting vice-chancellor professor Helen Nicholson says the whistle-blower was
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This sum relates to non-completed student electives in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
education– who was not in
University of Otago acting vice-chancellor professor Helen Nicholson
the role when the matter arose – says it is not acceptable behaviour, but there is no
recourse to address historic issues once people have graduated.
“I think it is possibly likely that some students didn’t undertake all of their electives but
the issue we have is that they are no longer students,” she said.
“Many of them are practising as doctors and as far as we know the Medical Council are
happy with them.”
Nicholson, who graduated as a medical doctor in the UK in 1979, says she hopes those
doctors “feel some remorse for what they have done”.
“As someone who is medically trained, it concerns me.”
MORE FROM
LEE KENNY • EDUCATION REPORTER
lee.kenny@stuff.co.nz
The panel made 10 recommendations and Otago says changes are in place to prevent
future similar misconduct.
A trainee intern elective coordinator has been appointed and software has been
introduced for “more rigorous and standardised electronic management of student
placements”.
Sites will be vetted and students have to sign a declaration as part of their elective
reports.
Ongoing discussions include shortening the module to six weeks and reducing the
options for students to go beyond New Zealand’s shores.
“For the majority of students, they have observed that ‘high-trust model’ but what the
events of 2019 have shown is perhaps we didn't have enough rigour,” Nicholson says.
After the issue made national headlines, the whistle-blower went to ground and would
not respond to texts or calls.
Nicholson says it was right that they came forward.
“That is behaving professionally. If you have concerns about your colleagues then you
should raise them.”
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national
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education
Not trying to make things awkward, but…
You're probably thinking, 'this is another call from Stuff asking me for money'.
And you're totally right. But hear us out. The stories you read here cost time and
resources to make. So we’re asking those who read them to contribute
financially. What do you reckon, NZ?
I’d like to contribute
Not right now
I’ve already supported.