Hon Tony Ryall

Minister of Health

15 August 2012 Media Statement

510 More Health Graduates On Bonding Scheme

For the fourth year in a row, registration for the government's Voluntary Bonding Scheme has attracted great interest with a total of 2,300 health graduates now accepted onto the scheme.

"This year we have accepted all 510 health graduates who applied for the bonding scheme – 43 doctors, 42 midwives, 411 nurses, 13 radiation therapists and one medical physicist,” says Health Minister Tony Ryall.

“Registrations are spread widely across the country, with all district health boards (DHBs) receiving registrations. Even the smallest DHBs – South Canterbury, Tairawhiti, Wairarapa, West Coast and Whanganui – have received half a dozen registrations each.

“The most popular hard-to-staff specialties this intake were general practice, mental health nursing, internal medicine and aged care nursing.

“In total, 1809 nurses, 263 doctors, 218 midwives, 13 radiation therapists and one medical physicist have now been accepted onto the bonding scheme since the National Government started it in 2009,” Mr Ryall says.

“We want more of our home grown health graduates to stay in New Zealand after graduation and initiatives established by this government, including the voluntary bonding scheme and rural immersion training placement programme, are helping to achieve that.

“The bonding scheme aims to keep our health graduates living and working in hard to staff specialties and communities in New Zealand with payments towards student loans or cash incentives over three to five years.

“Payments totalling over $2.9 million have already been paid out to 278 graduates who have completed their first three years on the bonding scheme.

“While the rural immersion programme encourages students to train in a rural area to gain a taste for country life. Experience overseas suggests that students who train in rural areas are more likely to work in rural areas.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media