About quarter of a million dollars will be refunded to district health boards after an IT meltdown forced prospective physicians to resit the most difficult test of their careers.
The man's GP believed he was getting counselling for his depression. Photo: 123RF
127 New Zealand doctors will have to resit a paper verison of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians' theory test this Friday.
Some of the doctors were pushed to breaking point after they couldn't finish the test - which was put online for the first time - last Monday, the national secretary of the Resident Doctors' Association Dr Deborah Powell said.
The test costs about $2000 per candidate and in New Zealand it was paid by DHBs, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians New Zealand president Dr Jonathan Christiansen said.
The company which provided the exam, Pearson VUE, had refunded the College after the glitch and the College would now refund DHBs in New Zealand, he said.
122 would resit on Friday, and five others will resit later this month, he said.
The annual test can be attempted three times by doctors who don't pass but the College said this years' test would not count towards that.
