Journal editor-in-chief Professor Frank Frizelle says the 139-year-old publication is \u201cagain at a crossroads\u201d.<\/p>\n
In an editorial published in today\u2019s Journal, Frizelle said the PMAG was \u201cno longer in a position to provide ongoing financial support\u201d because of \u201cfinancial pressures and competing organisational priorities\u201d.<\/p>\n
The New Zealand Medical Journal, now published digitally, is among the oldest continuously published medical journals in the Southern Hemisphere. <\/p>\n
The issues, he said, were \u201cnot a reflection of any failure of the NZMJ or of PMAG\u2019s stewardship\u201d but highlighted the challenge of sustaining a national scholarly publication. <\/p>\n
He said the Journal was \u201ca national asset\u201d whose fate should not rest with a single organisation. <\/p>\n
Founded in 1887, the publication \u2013 now published digitally \u2013 is among the oldest continuously published medical journals in the Southern Hemisphere. <\/p>\n
Frizelle wrote that through \u201cworld wars, pandemics, social change and healthcare reform\u201d, it had chronicled New Zealand\u2019s evolving health system. <\/p>\n
New Zealand Medical Journal editor-in-chief Professor Frank Frizelle.<\/p>\n
It had also served as a forum where clinicians, researchers, policymakers and public health leaders had debated issues affecting the country.<\/p>\n
Frizelle said the PMAG deserved \u201cenormous credit for ensuring the Journal\u2019s survival at a time when its future was far from certain\u201d.<\/p>\n
PMAG president Dr Kiki Maoate said the association had invested heavily in the Journal\u2019s formatting and technology platforms, while also making its content freely accessible.<\/p>\n
It was a tough decision to end funding arrangements, but it was now time to advance a sustainable, longer-term funding model, through the likes of subscriptions and advertising.<\/p>\n
The Journal cost about $400,000 a year to operate and sustain, he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to find a way of return \u2013 we\u2019ve had the ability to run it without the return on investment because we were doing all the other things.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to also look at it strategically. We\u2019re heavy lifting for the country, and we shouldn\u2019t be doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cover of today’s New Zealand Medical Journal.<\/p>\n
An interim funding arrangement is in place until December 31, with the medical schools at Auckland and Otago universities and a private donor providing financial support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile this arrangement provides breathing space, it is not a long-term solution,\u201d Frizelle wrote in his editorial.<\/p>\n
He suggested responsibility for the Journal\u2019s future could now be shared across universities, professional colleges and other health-sector stakeholders, while maintaining its vital editorial independence.<\/p>\n