Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor Andrew Vann today thanked the people of the Mid-North Coast and Port Macquarie for their support of a new rural medical school as proposed by CSU and La Trobe University.

 

The new school would give rural and regional students better access to medical education locally, with a guarantee that 80 per cent of students will come from rural, regional and Indigenous backgrounds.

 

At present, only around 20 per cent of all medical students, international and domestic, are from rural and regional backgrounds, and fewer than 10 per cent of all medical graduates move into rural practice.

 

Professor Vann said more than 2 500 Mid-North Coast residents have joined with 50 000 other Australians to back the new school on the Doctors4theBush Facebook site. 

 

"It is unacceptable that rural and regional people represent more than 30 per cent of the Australian population, but only 20 per cent of all medical students are from rural and regional areas," Professor Vann said.

 

"Charles Sturt University intends to change this.  When fully operational at least 144 of our new medical students every year, or 80 percent, will come from rural towns like Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Grafton, Tamworth and Coffs Harbour and they will receive their education and training in rural and regional Australia.  

 

"When we take into account the urgent need for more doctors across rural and regional Australia, and the generally poorer levels of health of rural and regional people, it is clear that we need to significantly grow the number of genuinely rural and regional students studying medicine in this country.”

  

The National Party has committed to establishing the new school in government as part of their 2013 election platform, building on strong backing from the National Party membership at the most recent NSW and federal conferences.

 

"It is fantastic that the National Party is now fully committed to delivering the Murray Darling Medical School in government, if they win on Saturday," Professor Vann said.

 

"This commitment reflects the high priority placed by rural and regional Australians on having sensible, practical and proven local solutions to doctor shortages in our communities.