Interview - AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, with Peter Sadler, Radio 2DU Dubbo - Bonded scholarship scheme failing targeting the wrong people

SADLER:       The bonded scholarship scheme introduced to help overcome medical specialist shortages in country areas appears to be failing to meet its objectives.

Students who miss out on normal round university offers are given a second chance to study if they agree to spend six years working in a rural area.

However, Australian Medical Association President, Dr Bill Glasson, says the scheme is targeting the wrong people.

GLASSON:    What they need to do is offer scholarships to students during their course of training, probably preferably at the end of their training.  In that case, you would actually attract doctors for the right reason.  But to offer these unfunded bonded medical school places, whereby the students elect to take a position in medicine not because they want to go and work in the bush but because they actually want to get a medical school place, is the wrong way to approach the problems.

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