A new virtual centre for rural health will consolidate the University of Otago’s rural health offerings, cementing its place as a leader in rural health education and research.
Launched at an event in Ashburton, the virtual centre brings the highly dispersed rural staff and students of the Department of General Practice and Rural Health and the Rural Health Academic Centre, Ashburton, under one umbrella.
Centre director Professor Garry Nixon is excited by the opportunities the centre will bring to strengthen the rural health workforce.
“Rural health programmes have been taught at Otago for about 20 years. We are the pioneers and national leaders in rural health medical education and research.
“Part of our success is thanks to our large geographic footprint, with staff and students living and working in communities across New Zealand.
“It is fantastic to be able to unify everyone under one entity,” Nixon said.
The current rural section of the Department of General Practice and Rural Health has 46 staff, who straddle clinical and academic roles, based in 21 rural communities from the Hokianga to Balclutha.
Undergraduate students are undertaking their studies at rural sites between Wairoa and Queenstown.
“Otago is lucky to have the support of so many rural communities and we see this development as a natural evolution of the partnerships we have.
“Not only will a dedicated centre make it easier for us to support our rurally based students, teachers and researchers, it will make us more visible, and it will be easier for us to engage with rural communities.”
The centre will function as the university’s rural health unit, with the primary purpose of supporting teaching and research across rural New Zealand.
Nixon, a rural doctor at Dunstan Hospital in Clyde and professor in rural health, will oversee the virtual centre.
The centre brings into its fold the university’s rural postgraduate and continuing medical education programmes, the Rural Medical Immersion Programme (RMIP), Clinician-Performed Ultrasound Programme, rural research network, and Rural Health Academic Centre Ashburton (RHACA).
RHACA is a collaboration between the University of Otago, Health NZ|Te Whatu Ora, and Advance Ashburton Community Foundation.
Based in Ashburton Hospital, it is a hub for inter-professional rural health training and research.
It includes the Rural Inter-professional Simulation Course (RiSC), many rural postgraduate programme papers, as well as the students and trainees from a range of health professional groups undertaking placements at Ashburton Hospital.
Ashburton Hospital senior doctor Chris Hill said the vision of the Ashburton community is “quite rare”.
“We have been given the head space to allow this to happen.
“Funding from the community has been key in building a great suite where teams from right across NZ can come together to practice and educate, raising the academic discipline and interconnecting rural health across the country.”
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the three parties with $645,000, over three years, donated by Advance Ashburton and the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation to help support academic posts and student training within RHACA.
Acting Dean of Otago Medical School Professor Tim Wilkinson said concerns about the sustainability of the rural healthcare workforce have been raised for several decades, both internationally and in NZ.
He said students who enter the virtual learning and training programme are five times more likely to enter rural health practice.
“We’ve got a declining rural health workforce, yet face increasing rural healthcare needs.
“Integration is needed in rural NZ to ensure good health outcomes for all communities.
“Improving the connectedness and visibility of training opportunities, such as the centre, is key to correcting this imbalance and it is heartening to see it supported so generously.
“Success comes back to the people, both past and ongoing, of Advance Ashburton and the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation.
“It’s partnerships like this that underscore the power we can have collaboratively.”
Health NZ’s national clinical director for primary and community care Sarah Clarke said the launch of the university’s new Centre for Rural Health is an exciting opportunity to grow partnerships as RHACA joins a collective programme of rural health development and delivery.
“Overseas research confirms that training rural people, in rural areas using rural health professionals, produces graduates that are more likely to continue practicing in rural areas.
“Scaling training initiatives to grow our current and future rural health workforce is an important step to achieving better health access for our rural communities,” Clarke said.
