Rural General Practice Network interim Chair Jo Scott-Jones has notified that Health Minister Tony Ryall has agreed to consider rural general practice nursing as a part of Government's graduate voluntary bonding schemes 2012's review.

Presently, the scheme includes intensive care, theatre, cardiothoracic and surgical department and with the health ministers consent now rural general practice nursing will also be a part of it.

General practice has been taken under hard-to-staff areas for medicine graduates. Under the scheme, the Government provides funding for graduate doctors, nurses and midwives who ensures working in hard-to-staff areas.

According to Dr. Scott-Jones, network has been quite supportive of the scheme and considers it a resourceful initiative. He stated the scheme has had a constructive influence on rural general practice.

Mr. Ryall declared yesterday that more than 400 nursing, medicines and midwifery graduates from 2010 had enlisted themselves for the scheme. These graduates will receive either loan payments or cash payments.

Also, the graduates should have enlisted themselves to the scheme, three years prior they receive their first payment.

Dr. Jo Scott Jones notified, “He would like to see the initiative extend to cover primary care nursing and more specifically, rural general practice”.