Australia can solve its medical insurance crisis by adopting New Zealand-style measures, according to Professor Peter Davis from the Christchurch School of Medicine.

Although politicians and insurers have rejected the NZ Accident Compensation Corporation model as unsuitable for Australia, Professor Davis raised some interest when he told the annual conference of the Australasian Association for Quality in Health Care that New Zealand doctors pay no more than $1,000 a year for coverage. The highest insurance premiums for Australian specialists are around $100,000 a year.

He said New Zealand’s compensation system covers injuries incurred everywhere, including hospitals. “If you go to work you expect to be able to work there in a reasonably safe environment, and virtually every society has recognised that with a compensation scheme.”