Universities to compete for new School of Rural Medicine

A shortage of doctors in some of the country's more rural areas has prompted the government to invite universities to bid for funding to set up a new medical school for rural GPs. Waikato University last year asked for $300 million to establish a new school in a joint venture with the Waikato District Health Board. The bid prompted stiff opposition by Auckland and Otago universities, which said New Zealand did not need a third medical school, but proposed a joint rural school of medicine to support an increase in GP training. The successful applicant is expected to be known in 2018, with the new medical school expected to be up and running no later than 2020. Kathryn Ryan speaks with University of Otago Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Health Sciences, Peter Crampton, and University of Waikato vice-chancellor, Neil Quigley.