Aspiring doctors and nurses from regional and remote areas will have a greater opportunity to fulfil their career aspirations following a generous bequest from beloved Tamworth resident Betty Fyffe.
The University of Newcastle will now make $10,000 funding available each year to 20 high-achieving students from less advantaged backgrounds.
It will also establish a Betty Josephine Fyffe Chair in Rural Health to oversee quality rural training and research and advocate for improved health outcomes for rural Australians.
“Every Australian, no matter where they live, should have access to world-leading healthcare,” the university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Alex Zelinsky, said.
“This incredible bequest will give students from regional and remote areas the educational platform to make a difference in areas that need it most, and the University of Newcastle is incredibly grateful and privileged that we have been chosen to help carry out Betty’s wishes for more equitable health outcomes for Australians.”
Statistics from the Australian Medical Association reveal life expectancy in remote areas is up to seven years lower than those in major cities, with higher rates of heart and lung disease, suicide, and cancer.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare also states the number of doctors per 100,000 of the population in major cities is 437, while there is 272 in outer regional areas and only 264 in very remote areas.
Students who come from rural areas but move away from home are up to three times more likely to return during their working life.
Elizabeth “Betty” Josephine Fyffe had a passion for nursing, serving at the Prince of Wales Hospital for many years before returning as a volunteer in retirement.
She passed away on 6 January 2019, aged 92.
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