Funds for GP training centres
ASSISTANT Minister for Health Senator Fiona Nash expects strong interest across the Northern Rivers for grants to help build regional GP training facilities.
National Party colleague and Page MP Kevin Hogan joined Ms Nash for the announcement outside his Molesworth St electorate office yesterday.
The $52.5 million Federal Government program includes 175 grants of up to $300,000 and comes days after the University Centre for Rural Health in Lismore welcomed 35 medical students for training.
"The up to $300,000 will be matching funding. We know that it's really important to support GP (general practitioner) practices as small businesses," Ms Nash said.
"What I've found every-where I go in regional communities is that GPs are really keen to train, really keen to be supervisors," she said.
Mr Hogan and Ms Nash agreed Northern Rivers practices would likely find the grant appealing.
"We want to advertise this. We know they're small businesses. Setting up a GP (training) clinic for a doctor is a lot of money," Ms Nash said.
