Health programme aims to boost rural, regional medical workforce

Head of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board Clinical School at Tauranga Hospital, Professor Peter Gilling hopes graduate students will return to rural areas. Photo / George Novak

A health programme aiming to enhance the medical workforce in the regions and rural New Zealand will be launched on Monday at Whakatane Hospital.

The scheme will see University of Auckland medical students spend nearly three months at the hospital and local GP rooms, as well as time at Tauranga Hospital's Bay of Plenty clinical school.

Previously, Auckland students took part in a six-week rural health immersion programme at Whakatane Hospital.

There will be 58 medical students from the university in the Bay of Plenty this year with 24 fourth-year, 18-fifth year and 16-sixth year students.

This is Auckland University's second regional-rural programme - the first was the Pukawakawa programme based at Northland DHB which includes training for medical students at Whangarei Hospital and rural hospitals around that region.

Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Professor John Fraser, said "The expansion of our regional-rural programme into the Bay of Plenty demonstrates our committment to giving our medical students training in the regions and rural areas with many returning to those areas later on."

The Head of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board Clinical School at Tauranga Hospital, Professor Peter Gilling, said: "Experience suggests that some of the students will return to the area and other rural regions later on as graduate doctors and this will enhance the medical workforce in the Bay of Plenty and rural New Zealand."

The programme will be launched with a joint pohiri at Whakatane Hospital, welcoming the first group of 18 students.