New Zealand Rural General Practice Network chairperson Dr Jo Scott-Jones has welcomed the Government’s recent extra initiative on the Voluntary Bonding Scheme but would also like to see rural general practice nursing included in the future.

The voluntary bonding scheme encourages health graduates to establish careers in hard to staff specialties and communities in New Zealand by offering student loan write-offs or cash incentives over three to five years.

Nurse graduates wanting to join the Government's Voluntary Bonding Scheme will now get priority if they choose to work in mental health or aged care.

“Initiatives like this are important in promoting workforce in areas of need within the health sector, and certainly mental health and aged care are areas of need,” said Dr Scott-Jones.

However, it is also clear that rural general practice is desperately short of registered nurses and has a capacity to utilise the specialist services of many more Rural Nurse Specialists and Nurse Practitioners than are currently available, he said.

The Network has invited Health Minister Tony Ryall to discuss the inclusion of rural general practice nursing in the scheme.

The Minister has asked Ministry of Health officials to advise him on the matter.

ENDS

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