❓ The Minister for Health addresses concerns about internship availability for medical graduates, highlighting a 30% increase in placements since 2008 and ongoing efforts to accommodate international students within the WA health system.
AnsweredQoN 500Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MEDICAL GRADUATES — INTERNSHIPS 2011
With an increasing number of doctors completing their university studies, will all of our medical graduates be offered internships next year in our public hospitals? Dr K.D. HAMES
With an increasing number of doctors completing their university studies, will all of our medical graduates be offered internships next year in our public hospitals? Dr K.D. HAMES
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. The announcement I made earlier this week about the increase in the number of medical students coming to our hospitals is very important. Over a number of years there has been a progression in the number of medical students going through the system, particularly with the addition of students from the University of Notre Dame Australia. We are now reaching the stage at which those students coming through the system will start work in our hospitals. As part of the recruitment, 265 graduate medical students will start next year in our three tertiary hospitals. They will also be working in country placements in a number of country hospitals—those being at Geraldton, Port Hedland, Broome, Albany, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie–Boulder. That is a 30 per cent increase in the number of internships since 2008. We all know that there has been huge pressure on our hospitals, particularly with growing demand. Having an increased number of medical students like that coming through our system is excellent for the service that we are able to provide in these hospitals for additional patients coming through the system. It will also help us in the peripheral ring of hospitals as we move to expand the training opportunities for those students, and in fact for the future at private hospitals as well. Mr J.N. Hyde : What about international students? Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. The announcement I made earlier this week about the increase in the number of medical students coming to our hospitals is very important. Over a number of years there has been a progression in the number of medical students going through the system, particularly with the addition of students from the University of Notre Dame Australia. We are now reaching the stage at which those students coming through the system will start work in our hospitals. As part of the recruitment, 265 graduate medical students will start next year in our three tertiary hospitals. They will also be working in country placements in a number of country hospitals—those being at Geraldton, Port Hedland, Broome, Albany, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie–Boulder. That is a 30 per cent increase in the number of internships since 2008. We all know that there has been huge pressure on our hospitals, particularly with growing demand. Having an increased number of medical students like that coming through our system is excellent for the service that we are able to provide in these hospitals for additional patients coming through the system. It will also help us in the peripheral ring of hospitals as we move to expand the training opportunities for those students, and in fact for the future at private hospitals as well. Mr J.N. Hyde : What about international students? Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
I thank the member for the question. The announcement I made earlier this week about the increase in the number of medical students coming to our hospitals is very important. Over a number of years there has been a progression in the number of medical students going through the system, particularly with the addition of students from the University of Notre Dame Australia. We are now reaching the stage at which those students coming through the system will start work in our hospitals. As part of the recruitment, 265 graduate medical students will start next year in our three tertiary hospitals. They will also be working in country placements in a number of country hospitals—those being at Geraldton, Port Hedland, Broome, Albany, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie–Boulder. That is a 30 per cent increase in the number of internships since 2008. We all know that there has been huge pressure on our hospitals, particularly with growing demand. Having an increased number of medical students like that coming through our system is excellent for the service that we are able to provide in these hospitals for additional patients coming through the system. It will also help us in the peripheral ring of hospitals as we move to expand the training opportunities for those students, and in fact for the future at private hospitals as well. Mr J.N. Hyde : What about international students? Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
The announcement I made earlier this week about the increase in the number of medical students coming to our hospitals is very important. Over a number of years there has been a progression in the number of medical students going through the system, particularly with the addition of students from the University of Notre Dame Australia. We are now reaching the stage at which those students coming through the system will start work in our hospitals. As part of the recruitment, 265 graduate medical students will start next year in our three tertiary hospitals. They will also be working in country placements in a number of country hospitals—those being at Geraldton, Port Hedland, Broome, Albany, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie–Boulder. That is a 30 per cent increase in the number of internships since 2008. We all know that there has been huge pressure on our hospitals, particularly with growing demand. Having an increased number of medical students like that coming through our system is excellent for the service that we are able to provide in these hospitals for additional patients coming through the system. It will also help us in the peripheral ring of hospitals as we move to expand the training opportunities for those students, and in fact for the future at private hospitals as well. Mr J.N. Hyde : What about international students? Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
Mr J.N. Hyde : What about international students? Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. The announcement I made earlier this week about the increase in the number of medical students coming to our hospitals is very important. Over a number of years there has been a progression in the number of medical students going through the system, particularly with the addition of students from the University of Notre Dame Australia. We are now reaching the stage at which those students coming through the system will start work in our hospitals. As part of the recruitment, 265 graduate medical students will start next year in our three tertiary hospitals. They will also be working in country placements in a number of country hospitals—those being at Geraldton, Port Hedland, Broome, Albany, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie–Boulder. That is a 30 per cent increase in the number of internships since 2008. We all know that there has been huge pressure on our hospitals, particularly with growing demand. Having an increased number of medical students like that coming through our system is excellent for the service that we are able to provide in these hospitals for additional patients coming through the system. It will also help us in the peripheral ring of hospitals as we move to expand the training opportunities for those students, and in fact for the future at private hospitals as well. Mr J.N. Hyde : What about international students? Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
I thank the member for the question. The announcement I made earlier this week about the increase in the number of medical students coming to our hospitals is very important. Over a number of years there has been a progression in the number of medical students going through the system, particularly with the addition of students from the University of Notre Dame Australia. We are now reaching the stage at which those students coming through the system will start work in our hospitals. As part of the recruitment, 265 graduate medical students will start next year in our three tertiary hospitals. They will also be working in country placements in a number of country hospitals—those being at Geraldton, Port Hedland, Broome, Albany, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie–Boulder. That is a 30 per cent increase in the number of internships since 2008. We all know that there has been huge pressure on our hospitals, particularly with growing demand. Having an increased number of medical students like that coming through our system is excellent for the service that we are able to provide in these hospitals for additional patients coming through the system. It will also help us in the peripheral ring of hospitals as we move to expand the training opportunities for those students, and in fact for the future at private hospitals as well. Mr J.N. Hyde : What about international students? Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
The announcement I made earlier this week about the increase in the number of medical students coming to our hospitals is very important. Over a number of years there has been a progression in the number of medical students going through the system, particularly with the addition of students from the University of Notre Dame Australia. We are now reaching the stage at which those students coming through the system will start work in our hospitals. As part of the recruitment, 265 graduate medical students will start next year in our three tertiary hospitals. They will also be working in country placements in a number of country hospitals—those being at Geraldton, Port Hedland, Broome, Albany, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie–Boulder. That is a 30 per cent increase in the number of internships since 2008. We all know that there has been huge pressure on our hospitals, particularly with growing demand. Having an increased number of medical students like that coming through our system is excellent for the service that we are able to provide in these hospitals for additional patients coming through the system. It will also help us in the peripheral ring of hospitals as we move to expand the training opportunities for those students, and in fact for the future at private hospitals as well. Mr J.N. Hyde : What about international students? Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
Mr J.N. Hyde : What about international students? Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
Dr K.D. HAMES : International students, as the member might be aware, have been a difficulty for us, particularly last year and this year when a number of graduating students were not offered places. Because we have had a significant increase in the number of students coming through the system, we guaranteed—in fact the former government guaranteed and I reiterated that guarantee—that all Australian medical students who graduated would be given a place in our tertiary hospitals. That has meant that of the 20-odd graduates from overseas, only six have taken up a place in the Western Australian health system. I have to say that I do not believe that is satisfactory, because they go through six years of training and then do not finish that one year of special internship. All those additional ones have been able to get jobs elsewhere in Australia, but we are certainly looking very hard at how we can resolve that matter. I have had meetings with the University of Western Australia where all those students are located to discuss various options. One of those options is for students to make a financial contribution to the cost of their training as part of the total package. They are full-fee-paying students who come from overseas; nevertheless, it is a cost to the taxpayers of this state. On the other side of that issue, there is a potential benefit. As members know, we are trying desperately to get doctors in from overseas and we are struggling to do that in our rural and remote areas, yet here we have trainee doctors trained under our system with good English skills who would stay if they had the opportunity to do so. I strongly believe that they need to be kept here. I have therefore had discussions on that with Hon Jim McGinty in his role as the chair of Health Workforce Australia; also with UWA, as I said; and with our staff. I expect, as we expand our hospital system at Joondalup and Rockingham, that in the coming year there will be a strong chance that we will have places for those students. However, I have to say that I do not like the ad hoc way in which it is currently managed, and that students for whom we do not have places are left out in the cold. We are therefore working on that aspect. However, 265 new students, which is a 30 per cent increase in students going into our hospitals, is a fantastic initiative—not of our government but of governments in total—and it is great for our hospitals to have that increased workforce available. Of course, we then have to provide more doctors in training, which therefore puts pressure on the system, but it will be greatly beneficial to this state in the long term.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.