Health Minister Sussan Ley insists funds for a new medical school in Western Australia will be contingent on the state’s ability to provide training places for students.
The assurance comes as outraged doctors on Friday submitted an urgency motion at the Australian Medical Association’s national conference in Brisbane calling on the lobby group to push the government into reconsidering its decision.
The AMA has slammed the proposal for a new medical school at Curtin University, with the group’s president Brian Owler having labelled Prime Minister Tony Abbott “Captain Chaos” over the plan.
He told the conference on Friday he made no apologies for his strong language in what was an example of politics over policy.
“Every expert review confirmed that a new medical school at Curtin would be bad for our health system,” Prof Owler said.
Ms Ley says the government acknowledges the shortage of training places and “remain on the case” in addressing the issue.
She told reporters in Brisbane that the government’s funding and support of the proposal were contingent on the WA government demonstrating that they had addressed the placements shortage.
“I’ve been reassured by (WA Premier) Colin Barnett that they are willing, able and determined to train, support and then employ locally, undergraduate trained doctors in WA,” Ms Ley said.
The AMA says there are already too many students and not enough training places and a new school would exacerbate the problem.
AMA WA president Michael Gannon said the government’s “calamitous” decision to fund the school was the result of intense lobbying by Liberal Party members in WA.
And after discussions with the minister on Friday morning, Dr Gannon said he didn’t expect the government to reverse the decision.
“I explained to the minister how the intense lobbying of the prime minister and herself had more to do with marginal seat politics and property development than health,” he said in a statement.
“I believe that following our meeting today, Ms Ley will not make the same mistake again and will not approve other new medical schools.”