‘The building blocks are here’

Murray Darling Medical School executive director Mark Burdack said Charles Sturt and La Trobe universities “would not be starting from ground zero”.

“We’re starting as major providers of health sciences and medical science programs already,” he said.

“What we’re doing is adding a medical program into what is already a comprehensive health program that both institutions offer.”

Albury-Wodonga already has a similar involvement through the University of NSW’s rural medical school, which is headed by Albury surgeon Neil Bright.

“Both universities are committed and as soon as the decision was made we could start enrolling students,” Mr Burdack said.

“They already have much of the infrastructure for science education and health sciences.

“They have highly qualified staff in anatomy, biology and pharmacology.”

Mr Burdack said CSU, at Thurgoona, already had “a very substantial campus” offering community health programs.

“Charles Sturt has recently constructed the allied health clinic in Albury-Wodonga so we’d build clinical training and capacity in innovative ways,” he said.

CSU and La Trobe vice-chancellors Professor Andy Vann and Professor John Dewar said the Murray Darling Medical School proposal had been delayed by governments on the grounds of budgetary pressure and growing clinical training capacity.

“The announcement of a medical school in Perth should give rural and regional communities confidence the government no longer sees these things as barriers,” they said.

Mr Burdack said the universities would now talk to the region’s MPs and other supporters of a medical school.

“We need to first get a better understanding of the Perth decision — this is obviously one that was made very quickly,” he said.

“Everyone was a little surprised by the announcement a week after the budget.

“We want to get in there, have a bit of chat to people about what were the fundamentals as the government saw in this proposal.

“We can then talk about how the Murray Darling solution can deliver comparable outcomes to rural and regional communities across NSW and Victoria.”