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Voluntary Bonding Scheme pay outs begin
 Graduate
doctors, nurses, midwives, medical physicists and radiation therapists
have until Friday 13 July 2012 to register their interest in joining the
Government’s Voluntary Bonding Scheme.
The fourth intake (2012) opened on Friday 15 June and is open to
applicants who have completed their qualification and whose last year of
study was in 2011.
“This scheme continues to attract great interest from graduates and
is improving access to health services in vulnerable communities and
isolated areas,” Health Minister Tony Ryall says.
“Hundreds of doctors, nurses and midwives who have chosen to work in
hard to staff communities and specialities are now starting to reap the
benefits through payments from the Voluntary Bonding Scheme.
“The Government has approved payments totalling over $2.7 million,
approximately half of which has already been paid out to graduates who
have completed their first three years on the scheme.”
Some 278 graduates have so far had their applications approved with around 460 graduates yet to apply for payment.
Pictured above is Waikato Hospital cardiothoracic nurse Trina McKelvy
who recently had her application approved. Watch a video of what she
thinks of the scheme.
| The scheme
encourages newly-qualified doctors, nurses and midwives to start their
careers in hard to staff communities and specialties by offering
payments to student loans after a three to five year bonded period.
The Government has decided to expand the scheme to include Radiation
Therapists and Medical Physicists, as part of the drive to reduce
waiting times for cancer treatment and retain key frontline health
staff.
“Radiation therapists and medical physicists are in demand worldwide. |
Trina McKelvy with the Minister of Health, Tony Ryall |
Keeping these specialists in New Zealand is essential to providing
better, sooner, more convenient cancer services to our communities,” Mr
Ryall says.
The full list of hard to staff communities and
specialties and terms and conditions of the scheme and the online
Registration of Interest is available at http://www.healthworkforce.govt.nz/our-work/voluntary-bonding-scheme
Application for payment for the 2009 intake (2005-2008 graduates) can be found at http://healthworkforce.govt.nz/our-work/voluntary-bonding-scheme/payment-information/2009-intake-2005-2008-graduates | 
