CHARLES Sturt University professor Andrew Vann has thanked the people of Port Macquarie for their support of a new rural medical school as proposed by CSU and La Trobe University.
Professor Vann said more than 2500 Mid North Coast residents had joined with 50,000 other Australians to back the new school on the Doctors4theBush Facebook site.
“It is unacceptable that rural and regional people represent more than 30 per cent of the Australian population, but only 20 per cent of all medical students are from rural and regional areas,” Professor Vann said.
“Charles Sturt University intends to change this. When fully operational, at least 144 of our new medical students every year, or 80 per cent, will come from rural towns like Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Grafton, Tamworth and Coffs Harbour and they will receive their education and training in rural and regional Australia.”
The Nationals committed to establishing the new school in government as part of the 2013 election platform.
