The New Zealand Medical Corps was established in May 1908 to provide a reserve of medical personnel should that be required in the event of war. After the declaration of war in August 1914, the New Zealand government sent a small contingent of medical staff to Samoa to take over the hospital at Apia. The contingent was made up of four medical officers, two dental surgeons, 67 non-commissioned officers and seven nurses. As the war progressed and the number of casualties increased, it became apparent that more medical personnel were required to treat them. James Allen, Minister of Defence, offered to send medical personnel to a stationery hospital in Egypt, including eight officers and 50 nurses. New Zealand medical personnel went on to serve in Samoa, Egypt, Palestine, Gallipoli, France, Belgium, Serbia and Great Britain. Among the hospitals serving New Zealand personnel in Great Britain were No. 1 General Hospital, located at Brockenhurst in Hampshire; No. 2 New Zealand General Hospital in Walton-on-Thames; and No. 3 General Hospital at Codford. No. 2 General Hospital came under the control of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in April 1916, and was located in the requisitioned 15th century Mount Felix estate until mid-1919. There were also another seven military hospitals of various types serving the Expeditionary Force in the UK, France, and Egypt. As part of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, three General Hospitals, three Field Ambulances, and a Convalescent Depot were dispatched to the Middle East along with the remainder of the force. On 12 July 1947 the NZMC was granted a Royal Warrant and became the Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was the Colonel-in-Chief from 1977 to 2002. During the Cold War, the Army maintained hospitals and field ambulances. In 1991, 2 Field Hospital, tracing its descent from No. 2 General Hospital originally formed at Walton-on-Thames, celebrated its 75th anniversary. The Forward Surgical Team was deployed to East Timor while serving with INTERFET from 1999. The last Field Hospital was reorganised into 2nd Health Services Battalion in the mid-2000s, following an Australian example. The Battalion is located at Linton Military Camp.
Current training
Medical training for the entire New Zealand Defence Force is conducted at the Defence Health School which is located at Burnham Army Camp. All medics enlisted in the Army, Navy or Air Force are sent there for training. The medic training is conducted in two phases; Military Medical Technician and Medic. Within these two phases, students complete a Primary Health Care Phase and an Operational Phase. Each phase comprises an academic component and on the job experience. On the job experience is conducted at various camps, ships and bases within the NZDF. This is a total of two-and-a-half years of intensive training. After their training, medics are then posted to their respective camps and bases. Most gain overseas operational experience with the NZDF within a short time and become proficient and experienced across a wide range of pre-hospital environments. Medics can continue onto a range of degree or graduate level qualifications when their workload permits. The Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps also employs a wide range of other medical specialists from Doctors through to radiographers, environmental health officers and other health professionals.
