Charles Sturt University (CSU) Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Vann, has welcomed the support of the NSW National Party for the University's rural medical school proposal.

 

CSU and La Trobe University have announced a partnership to establish the Murray Darling Medical School, based at their Orange, Wagga Wagga and Bendigo campuses, to address rural health workforce shortages.

 

Professor Vann said Central West and Riverina residents were lucky to have representatives across the region who were willing to stand up for the interests of their communities. 

 

“We’ve been fortunate to have some strong and passionate State MPs like Paul Toole in Bathurst, Andrew Gee in Orange, The Hon Katrina Hodgkinson in Burrinjuck, The Hon Adrian Piccoli in Murrumbidgee, as well as Upper House members like The Hon Jenny Gardiner and The Hon Niall Blair” he said.

 

“This is matched by high-quality Federal MPs like The Hon John Cobb in Calare, Mark Coulton in Parkes and Michael McCormack in the Riverina, as well as Senator Fiona Nash, who have been consistently arguing for measures to increase the number of doctors in rural and regional Australia.

 

“It’s very encouraging to see all of them, and the National Party as a whole, give such emphatic support for a home-grown solution to the rural doctor shortage.”

 

NSW National Party members voted unanimously at the recent 2013 Annual General Conference in Bathurst to support CSU's model for a medical school, and to support the establishment of rural schools to address workforce shortages.

 

The endorsement echoes the support of the Nationals Federal Conference, which voted last year to support CSU’s proposed medical school, and recent statements by Ms Nash and Mr McCormack in support of the joint CSU and La Trobe University proposal for a Murray Darling Medical School.

 

The school, jointly owned by both universities, would offer a six-year undergraduate degree with a rurally specific curriculum preparing students for procedural training to develop the unique skills required by rural and remote medical practitioners.

 

An initial intake of 120 students each year, spread evenly across the three campuses, would increase to 180 each year by 2017 and the universities have committed to recruiting 80 per cent of students from rural and regional areas.

 

CSU and La Trobe University are the two biggest regional providers of higher education in NSW and Victoria, and already deliver courses in dentistry, physiotherapy, pharmacy, nursing and allied health.