Writing off student debt for docs who go bush.

National has proposed to wipe student debts for new doctors who agree to work as rural GPs for 3 or 4 years.

This looks like the sort of subsidy that could easily lead to all kinds of unintended consequences that would be sub-optimal.

For example, if new doctors who serve in rural areas have their student fees forgiven, what would the impact be on people who might have instead trained to be surgeons or psychiatrists or much-needed oncologists or some other specialty?

Their desire to acquire the skills to enable them to provide advanced clinical care will be competing with the $100K+ debt load many / most will carry on graduation.

That is a HUGE financial DIS-incentive for new doctors to pursue any medical option other than going bush.

Can anyone else think of any unintended consequences of this policy?

Perhaps a scale of rescinding fees would be better, set according to the priority attached to increasing numbers in priority medical disciplines as well as geographic locations.