But a request by the NZRGPN to MoH earlier this year for three years additional funding, was initially declined, but is being reviewed.
International research shows someone raised in a rural community, who returns there to work in health, is six-times more likely to stay.
Comparable programmes to attract health professionals to rural areas have been run in Canada, United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.
The network promotes the interests of all health careers, aware all rural medical practices need professionals.
“This programme is about getting people into the pipeline,” NZRGPN chief executive Grant Davidson said.
A Ministry of Health written response to questions from Farmers Weekly acknowledges the programme just ended, exceeding targets.
It visited 108 schools, exceeding the 90 targeted, and career expos and the programme received positive feedback from most students.
“The contract was for one-off funding and the Ministry is in discussions with the network to understand the change in their circumstances, which has meant they are no longer able to fully-fund this programme themselves and how the programme can be sustainably supported,” the Ministry said.
Davidson says the programme introduced about 10,000 Year 9 and 10 students to potential health careers, but given those students have not left school yet, it is impossible to judge its success.
The network’s rural health careers co-ordinator Esther Maxim says research shows Year 9 and 10 students are the optimum target because they are starting to think about potential careers.
Members of Students of Rural Health Aotearoa participate in some school visits.
“The students are close in age and the school students can see what they have been able to do and that it is an opportunity for them,” Davidson said.
Part of the message for students is that medical schools offer preferential access for rural students, something he says some teachers are unaware of.
His confidence in the programme’s success stems from positive feedback from students and teachers and anecdotal evidence from rural GPs, such as Lance O’Sullivan, that their career choices were inspired by such school visits.
The rural GP workforce is aging and relies on foreign trained doctors.
About 25% of rural GPs are aged over 60 and the average age is 49.
Nearly half of rural GPs were trained overseas and Davidson says while that is not necessarily an issue, ideally the workforce would be more local with an understanding of NZ and rural culture.
The MoH statement says last year it committed to fund all eligible applications for GP training and is working with the Royal NZ College of General Practitioners to increase rural and regional placements for general practice trainees.
“The Ministry is continuing to work with the sector to progress initiatives to strengthen the rural health workforce,” it said.
“This has included actions to expand education and training places in rural locations, support rural health practitioners and extend technology-enabled delivery of training.”
