NT Medical Summit - The Way Forward
Thursday, 1 May 2008
The Territory’s first Medical Education and Training Summit has delivered a practical action plan to attract, train and educate more doctors over the next decade, including making the Territory the home of the generalist doctor.
The Summit focused on developing a blueprint for growing and retaining the Territory’s medical workforce and building an Indigenous medical workforce into the future.
More than 100 health professionals from around the Territory and the nation participated in a two-day summit, the first of its kind in the NT, to discuss ways to improve coordination and better integrate medical education and training.
Dr David Ashbridge, CEO of DHCS said the Summit provided an opportunity to get the best medical minds together from across the health system to develop a plan to suit the unique medical needs of the Territory.
“We’re developing an NT model to better deliver health services to the Territory community based on the strengths the NT has to offer, in particular its exposure to fascinating medicine,” he said.
Key outcomes of the Summit included endorsement to continue work underway to establish a post-graduate Medical Council and support International Medical Graduates.
Additional areas for further discussion and consultation included:
· Development of a body to coordinate all medical training in the Territory
· Building on the current medical school to create a full Medical School in the future with a focus on growing our own medical workforce including Aboriginal doctors
· Developing the broader Indigenous health workforce
Summit participants developed a set of principles to strengthen new approaches to medical education and training, including:
· Positioning the NT as the home of the generalist doctor
· Reinforce research and training as core functions of the health system
· Innovation and collaboration in medical education and training
· Value and nurture our health professionals through support mechanisms for new staff and providing opportunities for professional development
Summit chair, Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy, Mr Robert Wells said the Territory is not alone, medical training and education around the country face much the same issues.
“The Territory is leading the nation, and the challenge is to bring together the raft of medical education and training providers, including specialist colleges, medical schools, universities and post-graduate training to ensure we are making the best use of existing resources and tailoring the training to suit the Territory's needs.
“The summit has directly tackled those issues of coordination in the Territory context and the outcomes will better place the Northern Territory into the future,” said Mr Wells.
The plans developed at the Summit will now be formalised with detailed action plans and timeframes against recommendations and principals.
The Summit followed a review of Medical Education and Training in the Northern Territory released in 2007.
Media Contact: Lorraine Hook 0401 116 203.
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