Settling In Palmerston North and Feilding - Human Rights Commission

• ‘Insurance does not cover pregnancy, contraception and mental health.’Healthy Environment• ‘To increase awareness through public education on the importance of having a clean safe environment.’• ‘In the schools – Include personal hygiene as a subject in schools. Regularly sanitise class rooms – Parents concern of the lack of personalhygiene at schools. For example, frequent flue and flea contagion at schools.’• ‘Some women who visited NZ in the past find that NZ is not as clean and tidy as it used to be before, which results in their low interest in settlingin NZ.’• ‘Some houses are very poor insulated, resulting in very cold winter and mouldy wall and ceiling which will effect our health – need a system tomonitor rental houses in terms of rent and condition and quality.’• ‘health issues: pay more compare to unemployed’• ‘houses in general have bad insulation and ventilation’• ‘Water – worry about tap water cleanliness, drinking water in council housing.’Focus Group Suggestions• More information about ACC in New Zealand – how it works and entitlements• Public education to build awareness about health and hygieneSETTLING IN PALMERSTON NORTH AND FEILDINGACC• ‘More information about how to lodge injury, how to access treatment and lossof pay from this.’• ‘ACC was/is confusing’Health Workforce• ‘Look at the high cost of hiring locum doctors from outside as you alreadyhave permanent residents or New Zealanders staying at home with theright qualification or working something different from their qualification. Thegovernment should exploit the energy of those immigrants. For example,make it easier for people that come to live in NZ to work before they leave NZto a better place that will take them ie Australia.’Learning English at the Anglican Friendship CentreOne local migrant’s story about her experience in the New Zealand healthworkforce‘My husband and I are doctors graduated 1999 from Cairo University. After graduation we got married and planned to work in a better healthsystem like the first world countries. After that we started to study USMLE (USA medical licensing examination) and my husband finished earlierthan me and started to search for job and successfully got a job offer in Kaitaia hospital. At that moment we were very happy to go to NZ. Thenhe came to NZ to face a surprise that the Job did not match with his expectation. The agency was not honest with him in the job description. Atthat moment, he was not alone; he was with wife and two children. He left the hospital without any hope to have a job. One month later he got atemporary job in Auckland hospital for 6 month. We were frustrated due to we had not any secure feeling and we thought that NZ needs overseasdoctor to fill the gaps without thinking about this people feeling. On the other hand, I tried to study to finish my exam and I found a lot of obstaclessuch as the day care were very expensive and the public kindergartens had very long waiting list. I hadn’t choice except go back to Egypt to sitmy exam. After one year I passed 2 parts and need to get the third. During this period some people advice us to ask for residency and we changework permit to residency. We moved to Palmerston North city where I passed the third part of USMLE. After that I shocked as the requirementfor registration in medical council had changed and they need an English test with very high standard as a step before NZ medical exam. I nevergive up, I enrolled in Massey to study advance English despite of I passed all English requirement in USMLE and all my study was in English. Igot a certificate in advance level in English and all my teachers were very happy with my level. I sit IELTS and got 6.5 and they need 7.5. I triedto find any place to study IELTS strategy as this exam is a strategic exam not the true measurement for your English as a doctor as I believe youdon’t need to be a good essay writer. However, I went to ETC which is a private school for IELTS. Unfortunately, I am told that your level is higherthan our students and there isn’t place for you, consequently I went back to Massey where there wasn’t place for me as I finished the advancedpapers. Now I stay at home because the government asking for requirement without the places that help you to satisfied their needs. I alwayssurprise due to they need doctors and on the other hand there are doctors stay home carrying their qualifications at home and even not able tosit NZ medical Exam.’From Focus Groups April/May 200950