The NSW Government has announced further incentives to bring junior doctors and nurse practitioners to the bush, benefitting communities in the Tamworth electorate.

Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson has welcomed the announcement from Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor which would see an expansion in the Rural Resident Medical Cadetship Program, bringing the total cadetships on offer in NSW to 50, up from 18.

“We need to do everything we can to bring medical students to the bush, giving them experiences in our close knit rural and regional communities while learning from some of our experienced medical professionals,” Mr Anderson said

“Bringing junior medical students to our region will also provide essential respite for our dedicated healthcare workers while giving them an opportunity to explore working and living in the bush and enticing them to stay.”

Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor said the number of nurse practitioners in regional NSW will be doubled to 200 over four years.

“Nurse practitioners play an incredibly important role in rural locations where it’s a challenge to attract doctors, and this announcement is an enormous boost for these communities.”

“These are highly skilled nursing professionals that can operate autonomously in complex clinical settings,” Mrs Taylor said.

“By adding these extra doctors and nurses, we are providing our hardworking regional health workforce with vital backup and ensuring better health outcomes and a brighter future for NSW families.”

The Rural Doctor Scholarships Program is administered by the Rural Doctor’s Network.

The NSW Government announced the largest workforce boost in the nation’s history in the 2022-23 Budget with a $4.5 billion investment over four years to recruit 10,148 full-time equivalent staff to hospitals and health services across NSW, with 3,800 of those positions in rural and regional areas.