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New medical school – good intention undermined by bad policy

The AMA is pleased that the impasse over medical school places on the Sunshine Coast has been resolved, with a commitment to 50 Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP), but good intention has been undermined by bad policy.

AMA President, Dr Michael Gannon, said that the AMA supported the establishment of the new medical school, provided total national medical student numbers do not increase.

“We welcome the fact that the Government has partly listened to our arguments, with the overall number of CSP medical school places across the country remaining unchanged,” Dr Gannon said.

“The 50 CSP places on the Sunshine Coast have been reallocated from other medical schools.

However, the AMA understands that, as part of the negotiations with other medical schools, the Commonwealth has been forced to agree to support the recruitment of additional international full fee paying medical students at those universities that have given up places.

The medical training pipeline is now under immense pressure and workforce modelling shows an emerging oversupply of medical practitioners. While many international medical students might wish to remain in Australia, the vast majority will be unable to complete their medical internship here and receive full medical registration.

The AMA has written to each medical school with international full fee paying medical students to ask what information it provides to prospective full fee paying international medical students about the medical workforce situation in Australia, and their likelihood of accessing an internship in Australia following graduation.

Media release

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