Four clinical teaching staff will not teach University of Otago medical students this year after the university slashed teaching allowances for doctors.
The budget cuts were due to financial pressures the university was facing as a result of restrictions from the Covid-19 pandemic, a university spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman said the Dunedin School of Medicine had a strong relationship with the Southern District Health Board (SDHB) and its clinical staff, and clinical teachers were focused on making sure students reached the required level of clinical competency before graduating.
The cuts affected the income of 60 clinical teachers out of a pool of 575 clinical teachers, she said.
The university was saving about $360,000 this year compared with last year.
Last year the budget was about $506,000; the forecast budget for 2021 was about $170,000; and there was no budget yet for 2022 yet.
However, cuts were proposed for next year, she said.
Four staff chose not to continue teaching this year, the spokeswoman said.
The news of the cuts came after positive financial news.
The university reported savings made due to Covid-19 outpaced the drop in income caused by lower international student numbers and residential college refunds for students who returned home during lockdown, and the university was in surplus.
