Proposal for National School of Rural Health

Friday 16 November, 2018

Proposal for National School of Rural Health remains firmly on the table

The University of Otago remains committed to the collaborative proposal for a National Interprofessional School of Rural Health.

The collaboration proposes creating an interprofessional community of rural health academics, dispersed across rural New Zealand and brought together on a virtual campus.

Professor of Public Health in Kōhatu – Centre for Hauora Māori, Professor Peter Crampton, says planning for this project had been underway for many years and the University remains committed to its plans.

“The difficulties of attracting and retaining rural health professionals are well known and we are committed to working collaboratively with our partners, including rural communities, to address these issues to help improve New Zealand’s health system,” Professor Crampton says.

“We are in this for the long-term,” says Professor Crampton, who stepped down as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Division of Health Sciences earlier this year.

Health minister David Clark announced yesterday that he is not progressing plans of the previous National Government which called for proposals for a new school of rural medicine in New Zealand.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Division of Health Sciences, Professor Paul Brunton, explains much of Dr Clark’s response aligns with the proposal for a National Interprofessional School of Rural Health.

“We wish to continue to work positively and constructively with government to develop sustainable and long-term health workforce solutions for rural communities,” Professor Brunton says.

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