Medical school plans ‘won’t help students’

PLANS to more than double the number of Irish students who can gain entry to medical school may do little or nothing to ease pressure on school leavers hoping to study medicine, a campaign group said yesterday.

A task force set up two years ago to advise the Departments of Health and Education is reported to be recommending an increase in the intake of EU students to Irish medical schools to 725 a year.

Current restrictions mean that only 305 Irish or other EU applicants can be offered places, while colleges charge full tuition fees to more than 500 non-EU students.

It is also proposed that a limit of 25% of places be set aside for non EU-students, but that just 60% of places be given to school leavers and the rest to degree holders.

Dr Róisín Healy, founder of the Medical School Entry campaign group, said this could mean all of around 240 non-EU places being set aside for school leavers. This would leave just 340 places for EU undergraduate medical students, an increase of just 35, or 11%.

“The pressure on Leaving Certificate students is going to be the same, I don’t think there will be any difference in the points race,” Dr Healy said.

“I think this is just a way for the Government to bring in paid third level because it will mean hundreds of Irish and EU students paying anything up to €20,000 a year as graduates, whereas their fees are currently paid by the State.”

The task force was set up in September 2003 by then Education Minister Noel Dempsey and Health Minister Micheál Martin, with a view to relieving pressure on school leavers.

Because of the limited number of places for Irish students, the lowest score needed for admission in the first round of offers from medical schools last year was 570 out of a maximum 600 points in the Leaving Certificate.

While the latest proposals do not provide for a major increase in intake to the country’s medical schools, a higher proportion of Irish and EU students could help meet the long-term manpower demands of the health services.

The final report of the task force, chaired by former NUI Galway president Professor Patrick Fottrell, has yet to be presented to Health Minister Mary Harney and Education Minister Mary Hanafin.

A spokesperson for Ms Hanafin said the report would have to be considered by both ministers before any recommendations were made to Government.