New plan to lure doctors and nurses to the bush

Doctors and nurses who choose to work in regional Australia could have their university debt cleared by the federal government in an attempt to fill critical GP shortages in the bush.

Doctors who move to remote areas – including Murrayville in Victoria – would get their debt paid off if they stayed for at least half as many years as their degree took to complete.

Nurses would get their debt wiped if they stayed remote for at least one year.

Meanwhile, those who moved to rural towns such as Horsham or Echuca, would clear their debt if they stayed for at least the duration of their degree.

CEO of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia, Peta Rutherford, said it’s “certainly a really positive announcement”.

She says the shortage of medical workers in rural areas is a real concern.

“In our capital cities we have well over 450 medical practitioners per 100,000 population. In our rural communities that number drops to 256 and in some rural communities it goes down to about 113 … per 100,000 population,”Ms Rutherford said.

“When they get to rural … some of these junior doctors probably still have a debt of about $100,000 hanging over their heads, so it’s a significant incentive,” she told Ross and Russel.

Press PLAY below to hear more about the rural shortages