Dr LIM - 1995-08-22
What plans are there to establish a clinical teaching school for Territory medical students at Royal Darwin Hospital?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is exciting news for Territorians. It follows on from the changing state of training programs in universities interstate. I believe that the University of Sydney and Flinders University are the first 2 in Australia to move to what they call graduate training programs for medical students. These are programs for students who have completed already
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a degree of one kind or another, usually in science, before moving to a 4-year program that comprises 50% general practical experience and 50% ongoing academic study.
The 2 universities I mentioned have been competing to establish a clinical medical school in Darwin, based principally at Royal Darwin Hospital. Whichever university is successful in the end, the partnership that is formed to establish such a clinical school will include also Northern Territory University, Menzies School of Health Research, and probably even Batchelor College in relation to some aspects. That partnership will see our own Territory medical graduates as it will give local people more opportunity than has been available, particularly in terms of their being able to undertake a significant portion of their studies in the Territory, and it will have many other very positive aspects as well. The centre will attract high-quality health care professionals with a broader range of expertise and specialities. It will create a direct improvement in health care services. It will help to retain medical officers in that local graduates are likely to stay where they are trained, and even some of those from interstate who participate in this program will be likely to stay where they have trained. It will provide a broader dimension to the ongoing training of medical practitioners, something that has been difficult for them to access in the past. Most training programs have required them to go interstate to further their careers.
I believe there will be a potential to provide a national centre of excellence with specialisation in infectious diseases and Aboriginal and remote area medicine. It will be a centre of world standard, and will become a regional referral and service centre. Looking to our north, there will be commercial opportunities and, in terms of expanding the base here for medical services, it will serve to improve what is already an excellent level of health services in the Northern Territory. I consider that this initiative has exciting prospects. I look forward to the deliberations, which will be completed in the next month or so, to appoint the successful university. Obviously, it will be the one that will offer the best long-term positive outcomes for Territorians.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is exciting news for Territorians. It follows on from the changing state of training programs in universities interstate. I believe that the University of Sydney and Flinders University are the first 2 in Australia to move to what they call graduate training programs for medical students. These are programs for students who have completed already
Page 740
a degree of one kind or another, usually in science, before moving to a 4-year program that comprises 50% general practical experience and 50% ongoing academic study.
The 2 universities I mentioned have been competing to establish a clinical medical school in Darwin, based principally at Royal Darwin Hospital. Whichever university is successful in the end, the partnership that is formed to establish such a clinical school will include also Northern Territory University, Menzies School of Health Research, and probably even Batchelor College in relation to some aspects. That partnership will see our own Territory medical graduates as it will give local people more opportunity than has been available, particularly in terms of their being able to undertake a significant portion of their studies in the Territory, and it will have many other very positive aspects as well. The centre will attract high-quality health care professionals with a broader range of expertise and specialities. It will create a direct improvement in health care services. It will help to retain medical officers in that local graduates are likely to stay where they are trained, and even some of those from interstate who participate in this program will be likely to stay where they have trained. It will provide a broader dimension to the ongoing training of medical practitioners, something that has been difficult for them to access in the past. Most training programs have required them to go interstate to further their careers.
I believe there will be a potential to provide a national centre of excellence with specialisation in infectious diseases and Aboriginal and remote area medicine. It will be a centre of world standard, and will become a regional referral and service centre. Looking to our north, there will be commercial opportunities and, in terms of expanding the base here for medical services, it will serve to improve what is already an excellent level of health services in the Northern Territory. I consider that this initiative has exciting prospects. I look forward to the deliberations, which will be completed in the next month or so, to appoint the successful university. Obviously, it will be the one that will offer the best long-term positive outcomes for Territorians.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016