News the federal government wants to open a new medical school in Western Australia has been met with criticism from doctors.
The West Australian newspaper reported on Saturday that Prime Minister Tony Abbott would fly to Perth on Sunday to announce the new medical school.
But the Australian Medical Association says the public health sector needs more training places, not more schools.
“Opening a new medical school in Western Australia at this time does not make sense,” AMA president Brian Owler said.
“In fact, there is no evidence for the need of a new medical school anywhere in Australia right now.”
The AMA says it has opposed moves to add a medical school to Curtin University for some years at a state and federal level.
Instead, it wants to see more training places because there is a shortage of traineeships that would enable Australia’s medical graduates to become doctors.
The AMA says a decision at the federal level to establish a new medical school goes against the recommendations of the medical field.
“Funding this new medical school appears to be a purely political decision,” Professor Owler said in a statement.
There is no point establishing a new school if students have little hope of getting a job at the end of their studies, he said.
Earlier in the news: WA will get a new medical school, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott poised to fly to Perth to make the announcement
The school will underpin a new Curtin University campus at Midland, near the new St John of God-run Midland Health Campus, and will help Premier Colin Barnett deliver a key 2013 State election promise. The plan for a Midland medical school has taken at least five years and is contentious.
While the State Government has long been in favour of the plan, until now it has struggled to win the support of consecutive Federal health ministers who had to sign off on it.
It is understood strong advo- cacy from WA Liberals, including Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Christian Porter, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and member for Swan Steve Irons, contributed to the change of heart.
But the Australian Medical Association has been staunchly opposed to a new medical school because it says there are not enough training places in WA hospitals.
Millions of dollars will be pledged to fund training places at the school. Curtin University had hoped to have the school up and running by 2017, with 60 students a year initially, ramping up to 100 domestic students and 10 international students by 2021. WA has the fewest doctors per head of population in the nation, a fact seized upon by supporters of the project. The plan has been strongly backed by Mr Barnett, who pledged $22 million towards the buildings and a peppercorn rent for land in Midland at the last State election. Mr Barnett has criticised the fact WA’s health system relies on so many foreign-trained doctors from poorer nations.
The Premier believes it would be better if they helped the sick in their home countries. The offices of Mr Barnett and Mr Abbott declined to comment yesterday.
Mr Abbott is due to fly to WA tonight as part of the sales job on his second Federal Budget, handed down this week.
The medical school is seen as evidence of the growing influence of WA Liberals, including Senator Cormann and Mr Porter, on Mr Abbott and a sign that the Prime Minister believes he needs WA’s support at the next election.
Source: The West Australian