Otago Polytechnic, the University of Otago and Central Otago Health Services Ltd will work together to create a "virtual centre for rural health education". University of Otago associate dean (rural) and Dunstan Hospital rural doctor Garry Nixon said at present, there was not a department at the university which focused solely on rural health. When undergraduate students went on rural placements, traditionally each department or programme within the university or the polytechnic dealt "quite independently and separately" with rural health services. Central Otago Health Services Limited chief executive Kathryn de Luc said the three institutions were trying to flip the clinical education model on its head and put a sustainable system in place that would allow rural health services to recruit and retain rural staff. "This is an excellent and very promising step in this direction that draws upon the great strengths in education and rural health care in our district."

Source: Otago Daily Times December 13, 2019 15:11 UTC