Medical students who want to work in rural areas should get fees reduced - TD
A Kerry TD has put forward a proposal suggesting that there could be a "subsidisation of fees for medical students in return for a set period practising in rural Ireland".
The Fianna Fáil TD, Michael Cahill, raised the possibility of a reduction in fees for medical students who then go on work on rural areas once they graduate with the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill in the Dáil.
According to the Minister for Health there has been "significant progress" made by her department in collaboration with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Higher Education Sector to "increase the number of student training places across health-related disciplines to meet future demand for health services".
In response to Deputy Cahill's proposal, Minister Carroll McNeill said that the Programme for Government 2025 includes commitments "to provide more graduate entry medicine programmes focused on preparing students for careers in rural and remote medicine, ensuring those in under-served areas have access to skilled healthcare professionals".
The minister added: "In October 2022, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) ran an expression of interest (EOI) process seeking responses from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) interested in building capacity in dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, nursing, and veterinary medicine.
"EOIs were sought from institutions with the capability to expand existing courses or create new courses in these areas".
She also outlined that last year the HEA recommended "the progression of several projects, including two new medicine programmes - A Graduate Entry Rural and Remote Medicine Programme in the University of Galway, and a direct entry medicine programme in the University of Limerick.
"At full roll out it is anticipated this will provide a further 78 student places per annum between both universities, 48 of which will be available in the University of Galway Programme.
"The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science currently provides a subsidy, via the HEA, to HEIs towards the cost of Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) provision for EU student places.
"The subsidy provides support for broadening access to GEM programmes by assisting HEIs in providing the courses at lower fee rates for EU students than would otherwise be required for the HEIs to offer the courses on a sustainable basis," Minister Carroll McNeill added.
Separately the Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless, has indicated that third level students may face an extra €1,000 in fees from September.
The student contribution fee has been charged at a reduced rate for the last number of years and was originally announced in Budget 2023 as part a response to the escalating cost of living.
In the last academic year the third level student contribution was €2,000, however if the reduce rate is removed by the government students could face fees in the next academic year of €3,000.
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has called for the reduction of €1,000 in the student contribution fee to be retained in Budget 2026.
Pat O’Brien, chair of the ICMSA Farm Businesses Committee, warned that removing the fee reduction “would place additional strain on families already grappling with soaring expenses”.
