Vol. 496 No. 7
149 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health and Children the annual cost to train general practitioners from the time they enter medical school until they finish their training; and the procedures available to accommodate all qualified general practitioners to practice and accommodate public patients. [23408/98]
Any effort to realistically calculate the annual cost involved for the training of general practitioners involves consideration of a number of factors that make its precise calculation both difficult and subject to a range of purpose-related economic perspectives. A student preparing for a career as a general practitioner has to undergo undergraduate training in a medical school, to be followed by internship. The, should he or she wish to complete their general practice vocational training, which is a necessary prerequisite for eligibility for applying for a GMS scheme post, they would have to undergo a further three years of training of which two would be spent in a hospital and the final one in a specialised training general practice. Each aspect of that training regime has costs elements that are both direct and indirect and relate not only to the individual undergoing the training but also to the institution or body providing it and the State in terms of the overall infrastructure within which training takes place.
However, the Higher Education Authority has advised that based on unit data cost for 1996-97, the average annual cost of an undergraduate medical student is approximately £5,300, which, based on a six years course, results in a total average cost of £31,800. These costs relate entirely to the university period of training and do not encompass any other costs associated with required training.
