As part of a comprehensive system overhaul, the New South Wales (NSW) government has initiated a study subsidy program, allowing students enrolled in healthcare degrees to apply for subsidies of up to $12,000. This move comes in response to the alarming trend of 6,500 nurses and midwives leaving the NSW public health service annually for roles in other states and the private sector, as revealed by Premier Chris Minns in August last year.
The study bonus launch aims to incentivize students pursuing healthcare degrees, fostering a future pipeline of health workers. The program is projected to benefit up to 850 nursing students, 400 medical students, and 150 midwifery students annually. Subsidies are also extended to students in paramedicine, Aboriginal health, dentistry, oral health therapy, psychology, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and medical physics.
Premier Minns expressed the government’s commitment to retaining graduates and strengthening the healthcare workforce, allocating a total of $121.9 million over five years for the subsidy program. He acknowledged the challenges faced in recent years, with healthcare workers leaving the state, and emphasized the importance of recruiting the next generation of health workers to meet the needs of the people of NSW.
Successful applicants embarking on their degrees will receive subsidies of $4,000 per year over a three-year period. Existing students will receive one-off payments of $8,000, contingent upon accepting an offer of employment within NSW Health and committing to a five-year tenure in the NSW public health system.
Acknowledging the need to rebuild the workforce after more than a decade of neglect, Premier Minns affirmed the government’s dedication to making progress and addressing the healthcare system’s challenges. The subsidy program targets specific workforce groups, and applications will remain open until all subsidies are awarded.
