Liverpool Plains Shire Council to sign up to Bush Bursary Program

Councillors from the Liverpool Plains Shire Council (LPSC) are expected to discuss whether to endorse their participation in the Royal Doctors Network's (RDN) Bush Bursary Program, during the ordinary meeting on July 26.

If it gets the green light, two medical students will be placed in a LPSC LGA hospital or clinic for a two-week placement during their university holidays, with council footing the $9000 bill and responsibility for their itineraries.

If approved, the council's $9000 contribution is expected to come from the unrestricted cash reserves and comprise $3000 to participate, $4200 for 14 nights accommodation for two people at $150 per night, and $1800 for miscellaneous expenses, such as meals and travel.

LPSC mayor Doug Hawkins said the initiative was expected to give student doctors a taste of the rural and regional lifestyle, and hopefully attract them back to the region when they become fully trained.

"It's a magnificent lifestyle - we've got plenty of water, sporting facilities, good schools, and good amenities," Cr Hawkins said.

"It's an ideal place, even for younger professionals to raise their families. It's relatively crime free, and it's a nice area."

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Cr Hawkins said people from the Liverpool Plains region who currently needed medical attention had to do a "160-kilometre round trip to Gunnedah or to Tamworth which is a 120-kilometre round trip".

"We have a great hospital here we need to support, and we need more private practice doctors," Cr Hawkins said.

The RDN is responsible for selecting the best student doctors, nurses and midwives for placements across NSW and ACT as part of the highly competitive Bush Bursary Program each year.

On June 1, about 20 medical and allied health students kicked off their four-day New England tour in Quirindi with a visit to the local hospital as part of the RDN's Go Rural program in an attempt to entice health professionals upon graduation to regional and rural areas.

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