AMA proposes scholarships to attract young doctors to country Australia
AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, has today written to the Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson, proposing a scholarship scheme as a better way to attract doctors to country and outer urban Australia than the Government's draconian and poorly planned bonding policy.
Dr Glasson said the scholarship scheme idea was warmly welcomed in a recent AMA survey of 700 medical students. The same students totally rejected the Government's bonding scheme saying they would not have studied medicine if the bond was the only option they had.
"The AMA scholarship proposal would cost around just $4 million a year for each group of 234 scholarship students," Dr Glasson said.
"Students would receive financial assistance to undertake their studies in return for a commitment to work in areas of medical workforce shortage upon graduation - an approach that is consistent with past scholarship programs for teachers and other professionals.
"Medical students should be selected on merit through a rigorous selection process and then have the opportunity to apply for one of these scholarships to study medicine and go on to serve the patients in communities currently experiencing doctor shortages.
"Compared to our scholarship proposal, the Government's bonding scheme fails to respond to the needs of patients and areas of health need. Bonded medical places will not succeed in attracting doctors to rural, regional and remote Australia and keeping them there for the long-term because it is a system totally devoid of incentives.
"A condition of the bond is that prospective students must enter a punitive contract to work in a location determined by the Government 12 years after starting medical school.
"Bonded medical students will not receive any scholarship or other support from the Government, will have to pay HECS, will be required to spend up to $25,000 to obtain specialist or GP qualifications after finishing university and then work for six years in a location directed by the Government.
"Crude conscription of this type should have no place in contemporary Australia. The key is to make country medical practice an attractive option for our young doctors and the scholarship route is a much better way to go.
"The AMA scholarship scheme already has the support of medical students and we are confident it will also appeal to the well-honed rural policy antennae of the Deputy Prime Minister," Dr Glasson said.
CONTACT: John Flannery (02) 6270 5477 / (0419) 494 761