New Zealand’s health workforce is to be boosted with 50 new senior doctors and about 75 senior specialist nurses.

Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Health NZ Commissioner Professor Lester Levy said about $30 million in extra funding will boost Health NZ’s clinical workforce.

A further $12m fund will help with minor hospital improvements, the pair said in the announcement at Whangārei Hospital on Tuesday.

Reti said the approximately $20m for 50 senior doctors will help fill critical workforce gaps and address health targets, particularly in regional or provincial hospitals.

“This will reduce wait times, enhance patient safety and support vulnerable specialties like dermatology,” he said.

The $10m for senior specialist nurses and allied health professionals will focus on areas where there are critical shortages, such as rural areas and in particular specialties like mental health, maternity and critical care.

The comments come as Health NZ is under increasing pressure to meet its health targets while shaving $1.4 billion off costs.

Its board was sacked in July and Levy put in as commissioner to help control overspendingto the tune of $130 million a month.

Since then, Health NZ has accepted just over 400 voluntary redundancies from staff not on the clinical frontline. More redundanciesare expected.

At the same time, clinical staff said they are under pressure due to a lack of suitable staff, with the likes of Dargaville Hospital operating without doctorson site for most overnight shifts.

Nurses have complained roles are not being filledwhen staff are on leave or the position is vacant.

Levy said the Health NZ back office, such as administrators and managers, had swollen to a size it should never have got to and some of those jobs could be cut without having an impact on patients.

He said clinical recruitment into rural and provincial areas was key, to help address inequities in those areas/

Levy said recruitment would need to be done differently to help fill these rural gaps.