Media statement
For immediate release

Dunne applauds rural doctor move - at last!

United Future leader Peter Dunne has applauded today's announcement by the Government that it is putting nearly a million dollars into helping overseas doctors complete their registration in New Zealand.

"It feels like only yesterday, in a pre-election TV debate before the 2002 elections, that I made the commonsense suggestion that the Government could help solve the rural doctor shortage by funding overseas doctors in this way.

"The idea caused quite a stir at the time and now, a mere five years later, the Government has acted and I applaud them.

"The trick from now on is to get the Government to adopt even more of United Future's commonsense ideas in a much more timely fashion," said Mr Dunne.

ENDS