Council has been part of the scholarship scheme since its inception which had as its sole long-term goal that of enticing student doctors to rural areas once they had completed their studies.

However, with the majority of Council’s having withdrawn from the scheme over the years, Parkes Shire Council has now done the same.

At last count there were 15 councils throughout the state (including Parkes) still participating.

The figure varies from year to year.

Parkes Shire Council’s main reasoning for pulling the plug has been a failure by the Rural Doctors Network in providing data regarding the scheme’s efficiency in attracting more doctors to the bush.

Mr Les Finn (council’s Director Technology and Corporate Services) said that while the network has provided high level information it has been difficult to fully evaluate the direct outcomes.

“This is because many of the students who undergo the scholarship may take many years to make a decision about practicing in rural and regional areas,” he said.

Since its inception, selected students have secured $3000 to partake in a two-week experience, usually during December, at a rural location.

In Parkes this has meant visit to doctor’s surgeries both in town and in the shire, meeting with allied staff at the Parkes and Peak Hill hospitals, plus experiencing attractions such as The Dish and Northparkes Mines.

Council deferred making a decision to participate this year pending feedback from the GP Working Party and health related services within the shire.

Mr Finn informed the most recent council meeting that following the review the collective opinion was that council not participate in the scheme for the foreseeable future.

“The suggestion was also made that the $3000 be directed to programs which have a more direct benefit in attracting health practitioners,” Mr Finn said.

Currently there is $100,000 in the GP Working Party account and Mr Finn said the consensus within the group was that the $3000 normally budgeted for the Bush Bursary Scheme be added to the reserve funds.

“By pooling the allocation with the existing funds means it can be used for future related purposes,” Mr Finn said.

In reply to an enquiry from Cr Louise O’Leary, Mr Finn said the funds could assist in securing allied medical staff such as physios and speech therapists.

He recommended that Council opt-out of the scheme.

Mayor Ken Keith questioned whether the influence of the Bush Bursary Scheme was flowing through to rural areas.

“Most students who gain scholarships are either in the first, second or third year of medicine and certainly haven’t made a decision to practice in rural areas at that stage of their studies,” Cr Keith said.

Deputy Mayor Cr Alan Ward supported the recommendation to opt out of the Scheme.

“We as a council can always come back and support the scheme if and when the  time may arise,” Cr Ward said.

While the decision had the majority support of councillors, the lone objection came from Cr Barbara Newton.

She said the Bush Bursary Scheme was the only one still in existence following Federal Government cutbacks to other scholarship programs such as the John Flynn scheme. 

“Personally I don’t want to see the Bush Bursary Scheme go. Forty percent of doctors practicing in rural areas come from a city background,” Cr Newton said.

“The last Bush Bursary evaluation presented to Council showed that 25 per cent of participants are working in rural areas, 20 per cent went on to hold cadetships and 48 per cent of cadetship holders are practising rurally.

“We also know that bush bursary participants go on to rural clinical schools and this also influences their uptake of rural practice.

“While I agree on the issue of who should be sent out to rural areas under the scholarship scheme - a first year student is certainly not the way to go - the strength of this scheme is that recipients are being mentored on the front line.

“But the way we are going now we are taking away from medical students the opportunity for them to experience a rural practice.”

Cr Newton said she would prefer to see council stay with the scheme.

“We are risking people not being exposed to rural medicine and not knowing its available and taking it up in the future.

Mayor Keith replied that council had invested $50,000 into the scheme and that the Rural Doctors Network had provided no definite information to justify staying involved.

Councillors subsequently voted 8-1 to opt out in 2015, that all future monies ($3000 annually) be added to the Doctors Recruitment Program Reserve, and that organisers of the Scheme be thanked for their initiative in this ‘area of medical incentive’.