Govt Needs To Act On Medical Student Debt

“Government Needs To Act In Budget On Medical Student Debt”

“The Government needs to act in its next Budget on the recommendations arising of the impressive survey of medical student debt,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. Mr Powell was referring to the joint survey conducted by the NZ University Students Association, Medical Students Association and NZ Medical Association and reported in the Doctors & Debt publication.

“The warnings of the serious implications arising out of the negative financial and social effects of increasing high student debt for the future medical workforce can’t be swept under the carpet. The risk caused by this high debt to the standards and range of care that doctors of the future are able to provide for patients is too great to be ignored. Two of the main recommendations are to significantly reduce the level of student fees and to provide a reasonable accessible living allowance including significantly increasing the Tertiary Intern Grant.”

“The Progressive Party as part of the coalition government is seriously looking at these proposals and has already announced a significant measure of debt wiping linked to working in New Zealand. The larger Labour Party part of the government needs to do likewise.”

“This year’s Budget provides an excellent opportunity for the Government to recognise the serious problems that increasing medical student debt will cause the health system and to announce significant constructive measures to overcome them,” concluded Mr Powell.

Ian Powell

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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