Network encourages Voluntary Bonding Scheme uptake

June 19 2012

Network encourages Voluntary Bonding Scheme uptake

The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network wants more young health professionals to consider the Government’s Voluntary Bonding Scheme (VBS) with a view to more graduates opting to work in the rural health sector.

“We hope the scheme will show evidence of recruitment into rural communities as its first entrants emerge over the next 12 months,” says Network chairman Dr Jo Scott-Jones in response to the recent announcement that the fourth intake for the VBS is underway.

“We are unaware of any junior doctor who has taken the VBS option to help support them into a rural general practice career, and would like to see more focus in the future on a rural primary care scheme, promoting not only the rural medicine but also rural nursing as interesting, rewarding, and valued career paths.”

“Rural primary care remains a highly vulnerable workforce, and as at June 2012 we are aware of 44 permanent GP vacancies at 43 rural practices around the country, 14 of these vacancies are deemed critical, in other words the services are at risk,” says Dr Scott-Jones.

“Approximately 57% of rural GPs are international medical graduates and the average age of a rural GP is rising, it is now between 50 and 55 years.”

The Network acknowledges the inclusion of General Practice in the list of hard to staff specialties, and areas like the West Coast DHB in the hard to staff regions, but it is clear that the VBS is a broad-based tool designed to help recruitment across the whole health sector, says Dr Scott-Jones.

The VBS encourages newly-qualified doctors, nurses and midwives to start their careers in hard to staff communities and specialties by offering payments to student loans after a three to five year bonded period.

Graduate doctors, nurses, midwives, medical physicists and radiation therapists have until Friday, July 13, 2012 to register their interest in joining the VBS. The fourth intake (2012) opened on Friday, June 15 and is open to applicants who have completed their qualification and whose last year of study was in 2011.

The Government has decided to expand the scheme to include Radiation Therapists and Medical Physicists, as part of the drive to reduce waiting times for cancer treatment and retain key frontline health staff.

Approximately 278 graduates have so far had their applications approved with around 460 graduates yet to apply for payment.

ENDS

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