10-05-2023
Members of the NSW Rural Doctors Network stopped in to Crookwell on the weekend to say thanks to the Shire for supporting the initiative.
The visit was the first stop on day one of their Go Rural tour of parts of regional NSW, enjoying tea and scones with Peta Proudford at the Red Robin Nursery before leaving for Iandra near Young and then Ariah Park as the next stops on their itinerary.
Upper Lachlan Shire Council has supported the program for the last three years, contributing $3,000 each year towards rural placements of medical students with a view to attracting doctors to live and work in the Shire.
In the placements, students have worked at the Crookwell District Hospital, Gunning District Community and Health Service and with other medical and health centres in the area.
While in Crookwell the Go Rural crew expressed to Mayor Pam Kensit, Deputy Mayor Mandy McDonald and Councillor Nathan McDonald their gratitude for the Shire’s ongoing support.
Mayor Kensit, who billeted two students for their 2022 placement, said that the program provided a unique experience for participants to experience rural and regional health first hand.
“These placements not only expose students to rural health services, which they may not have experienced before, but also gives them a taste of places they might like to work,” she said.
“All of the participants we’ve had in the Shire have been very enthusiastic about what they have gained and learned from their placements, and I believe the program will provide practical outcomes for parts of rural NSW, including the Shire.”