Medical degrees being priced out of reach

AMA President, A/Prof Brian Owler has warned about the impact of the Government’s decision to deregulate university fees in a speech to the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Forum. Under the Government’s proposal, interns could be burdened with debts to the tune of around $250,000.  “We want the best and the brightest, not the wealthiest. We want the medical profession to have the same diversity as the communities it serves,” A/Prof Owler said.

Research suggest that high fee levels and the prospects of significant debt deter people from lower socio-economic backgrounds from entering university. The level of student debt is also a factor in career choice, driving people towards better remunerated areas of practice and away from less well paid specialties like general practice.