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I read with horror Bond University's plan to offer a $200,000 medical course (University buys in to medical degrees, December 17). At this price, entry to the course would be grossly inequitable. Most Australians living outside privileged inner city suburbs know how difficult it can be to book a timely doctors appointment. This problem hits rural, Aboriginal, and other marginalised people the hardest. Servicing such areas of need often requires the attraction of people from these areas into medicine. How many Aboriginal or rural people will easily afford such course fees? And some private universities plan to train their students largely in private hospitals. These attract a biased caseload, with the above groups under-represented. Will a young doctor with such sheltered experience deal well with an impoverished, mentally ill patient from a non-English speaking background? We need more doctors, but training needs to occur in public universities and hospitals, with an increased emphasis on equality of access. Training up an elite bunch of rich kids is not the answer. Dr Brett Montgomery Published in The Australian on 19 December 2002 |
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