The University of Otago's Faculty of Medicine seems likely to
get an extra 20 student doctors next year.
In a speech to the Rural General Practice Network Conference
this year, Health Minister Tony Ryall announced an extra 20
places for next year which would be officially known as the
Pat Farry intake.
They would be "earmarked for young people from rural New
Zealand" as part of an extension of the rural origin medical
preference programme established in 2004.
That programme created 20 places at each of the two medical
schools for students from rural backgrounds.
Dr Farry, of Queenstown, who died last October, was a
tireless campaigner for rural general practice and played a
leading role in the development of the University of Otago's
rural medical immersion programme.
University of Otago health sciences pro-vice-chancellor Prof
Don Roberton said he was waiting to see if funding for the
extra 20 places would be announced in the Budget next month.
This year, Otago got an extra 24 students and the Auckland
University medical school 36 more as part of the Government's
promise to increase places by 200 annually within five years.
Prof Roberton said it was expected that out of the 200
places, Otago would receive 80 overall and Auckland, which is
undertaking a building programme, would take 120.
Next year, however, because of Auckland's building schedule,
he anticipated no increase there and any extra would come to
Otago.
Otago had the capacity to take on an extra 20.
The present Otago intake for domestic students (those born in
New Zealand or with New Zealand citizenship) is 234, compared
with 170 in 2003.
The Auckland school's first-year domestic roll is 191
students.
elspeth.mclean@odt.co.nz
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