South Canterbury on bonding scheme list

Three South Island areas are now on the list of 11 hard-to-staff communities which are covered under the Government's voluntary bonding scheme for health graduates.

South Canterbury has been added, joining Southland and the West Coast.

All three are considered hard to staff for both doctors and midwives.

The scheme was introduced last year in areas considered difficult to staff, and works by encouraging health graduates to establish careers in particular specialties and communities throughout New Zealand by offering student loan debt write-offs or cash incentives over three to five years.

Health Minister Tony Ryall announced yesterday that South Canterbury had been added to the list of regions, while surgical nursing had been added to the list of hard- to-staff specialties which qualify for the scheme.

"Demand in the first year of the scheme far exceeded expectations," Mr Ryall said.

"We estimated around 350 doctors, nurses and midwives may apply but confirmed more than 890 recent graduates."

Mr Ryall's office advised that at this stage no indication of the areas applicants had chosen could be given.

This would not be known until 2012, when it would be determined how many had completed the initial part of their bonding period.

In some instances, graduates might work in more than one area during their bonding period.

Registrations for this year's intake will close on April 30.

Hard-to-staff specialties for doctors include general practitioners, general surgeons, internal medicine physicians, psychiatrists, pathologists and rural hospital medical staff.

Nursing specialties include theatre, cardiothoracic and surgical nursing, as well as the just-added specialty of surgical nursing.

elspeth.mclean@odt.co.nz