New Zealand has introduced a novel medical scholarship scheme that aims at providing monetary assistance to region’s doctors, so that they don’t get tempted to leave the country.

Health Workforce New Zealand has created the scheme named as Advanced Trainee Scheme and it bears the 80% fee expenses of advanced study in offshore lands. The scheme makes the doctors to sign a bond to come back to New Zealand to serve its specialty with their international expertise and thus give uplift to its health sector.

The scheme would upgrade the training and career development of senior medical trainees and thus at the same time, motivate them to start their career in their homeland.

“The scheme is partly an exercise to ensure young doctors have some roots here, as well as recognize their obligations to the New Zealand community”, said Professor Des Gorman, Executive Chairman of Health Workforce.

Till now, six such scholarships have been awarded to junior doctors under the Advanced Trainee Scheme. Around $20,000 has been provided to each awardee under the scheme to carry out study in foreign land. These six trainees are inhabitants of in Northland, Waikato and Canterbury.

Annually, 50 scholarships will be granted in all, as told by Health Workforce New Zealand.