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Rudd 'lures back' nurses to fix sick health system
Live News 15 Jan 2008
Nurses will be paid by the federal government to come back to work in Australia's ailing health system.
It is estimated by 2010 Australia will be facing a 19,000-nurse shortage.
Today Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced a plan, which he says is a solid start to addressing the problem.
But the Opposition claims it will take more than Federal funding to lure nurses back in to the NSW health system.
Shadow Health Minister Jillian Skinner said nurses do not stay due to the poor conditions that exist in the hospital system.
The Commonwealth will offer six thousand dollar cash incentives to nurses but Mr Skinner said the spend will not work, unless the state government fixes the system.
Nurses who have left will be enticed back with $6,000 cash incentives, to be received in two installments.
$87 million in total is available for the states and territories for the plan, which, if successful, will see 9,250 nurses come back into the health system over the next two years.
Mr Rudd says it is a proactive plan and he’s confident it will help.
“Finding cash incentives will help, we believe, to get qualified nurses back into the system,” he said.
“It’s not going to deliver a perfect 100% outcome, but you know something? It’s a lot better than just sitting on your hands and whistling Dixie and hoping that it all just fixes itself up in the morning.”
Health Minister Nicola Roxon is also talking up the plan's chances of success.
"This is $6000 for nurses who are trained, who have been out of work for more than a year," she said.
"Plus there will also be a $1000 bonus to hospitals who are taking on these nurses to cover the training costs."
By Laura Tunstall & Anil Lambert-Patel
Article from www.livenews.com.au
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