The next federal government is being urged to boost the number of domestic student doctor places at universities by 1000 over four years.Credit:Michel O'Sullivan
“Our starting point must be additional university places for medical students – and at scale – to underpin Australia’s future medical workforce,” a position paper,released by the Group of Eight,states.
“Australia currently recruits as many international medical graduates annually as there are domestic graduates from Australian medical schools. This is not sustainable. Nor should it ever be a preferred option of any government.”
The paper,which calls for the next incoming government to ramp up Commonwealth-supported places for domestic medical students so that 1000 new doctors are graduating each year within four years,was published after the Group of Eight held a roundtable of medical profession peak bodies and heads of medical schools last month.
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It notes that of the 105,000 medical practitioners in the Australian workforce,30 per cent completed their initial qualifications outside of Australia and New Zealand – a figure that has remained consistent over the past five years.
The Group of Eight – which represents eight universities including the University of Sydney,University of Melbourne and UNSW – estimates it would cost about $136 million to ramp up to 1000 extra places per year over four years,by cumulatively increasing the number of graduates by 250 each year. Thereafter,it is estimated to cost another $136 million per year thereafter to sustain 1000 extra graduates each year.
Professor Andrew Coats,dean of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians,who participated in the roundtable,said the reliance on overseas doctors to address demand had become “a short term,get-out-of-jail solution”.