Guy Welcomes the Voluntary Bonding Health Scheme
Otaki MP Nathan Guy says the Government voluntary bonding scheme will help fill some of the shortages we have in general practice (GPs), nursing and midwifery.
“This fresh approach will offer student loan write-offs and cash incentives to graduate doctors, nurses and midwives.”
Mr Guy says the $10,000 student loan write off per year - paid to medical graduates after three years employment – should provide enough incentive to attract graduates to the Kapiti and Horowhenua districts.
“Doctors will have to work for two years after graduating in mainly provincial hospitals before we can ‘bond’ them to our region, a hard to staff GP area,” Mr Guy says.
“So, in the short term we will continue to rely heavily on our current GPs and locums to cover shortages. Fortunately two new overseas doctors have recently arrived in Levin which will reduce some of the current patient pressure.”
He says the initiative will help to stop the brain drain and keep more New Zealand-trained doctors at home.
“In the past New Zealand has been the biggest exporter of our New Zealand-trained doctors and the biggest importer of foreign doctors - which seems absurd.
“This bonding scheme will help rebalance the GP shortage we currently have and encourage them to establish their careers in New Zealand. It is designed to be flexible and responsive to changing gaps in the sector and will be reviewed after a year,” Guy says.
The National Government is focussed on improving the health sector and is in the process of increasing GP training places and funding more medical school places.
Registration is www.moh.govt.nz/bonding