Madam, - I read with interest the letter of August 28th from Andrew J Moran. Unfortunately, like many others, he makes the false assumption, that the number of places in publicly funded medical schools is in some way controlled by the schools of medicine, the universities or the medical profession. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The number of students entering public medical schools is controlled entirely by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), ie the Government. The number of students was "capped" at 305 a year in 1978 and only since publication of the Fottrell report - Medical Education in Ireland, a new Direction - in 2006 has the situation been revisited.
The public medical schools have been working closely with the HEA for the past 18 months to redress the shortage of places in schools of medicine. In Trinity College 14 new places for Irish/EU students were created in 2006 and a further 20 places will be created in 2007. Other medical schools have increased their intake and the decision to open medical schools to graduate entry will facilitate further increases.
Irish schools of medicine have suffered for years from chronic under-funding. Government support for the Schools is but a fraction of that given in the UK. Financial support, protected time for consultants to teach and the creation of new infrastructure is required urgently if medical schools in Ireland are to maintain their high standards.
- Yours, etc,
SHAUN R McCANN, Professor of Academic Medicine and Director of Teaching and Learning (undergraduate), School of Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin 2.