The Federal Budget has provided $6 million in funding to construct a Family Medical Practice on the Charles Sturt University ‘s Bathurst Campus as part of the University's health and wellness precinct.

 

However, Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann said the University was disappointed that funding was not provided for its bid to establish a new private training hospital in Bathurst, or to establish new medical schools in Australia to address rural doctor shortages.

 

He said the new Centre will be built alongside the University's existing $5 million Community Dental and Oral Health Clinic, and $7 million Community Engagement and Wellness Clinic (funded by Health Workforce Australia) that will begin construction this year.” 

 

"The funding provided will deliver an important expansion of health services to our communities, and provide an important inter-professional training facility for our health and nursing students.


"Nonetheless, the decision not to fund the Stage 4 private training hospital development will be a big disappointment for the Bathurst community."The University is also disappointed that the government did not use the Budget to address the low number of rural students getting into city-based medical schools, and the continuing shortage of Australian medical graduates entering rural practice.

 

"There are two current proposals with the government to establish new rurally-focused medical schools in Australia, at Charles Sturt University and Curtin University, and neither was funded in this year's Budget.

 

"The fact is that the government had a major budget deficit to overcome this year and new rural medical education initiatives were simply not high enough on the agenda.”

 

Professor Vann said the failure to address this issue in the 2012/13 budget will only compound rural doctor shortages into the future, and will increase pressure on the government and opposition to come up with solutions in an election year.

 

"Health Workforce Australia reported two weeks ago that current rural medical education strategies have failed to solve the rural doctor shortage, and will not do so in the future,” Professor Vann said.

 

"We strongly believe the government should fund a new medical school at Charles Sturt University in the near future because it is the only institution in the region that can prove its ability to attract rural students and get graduates into rural practice.

 

"It will no doubt be disappointing to rural communities that the opportunity was not grasped in this budget.