9 Sep 2008

Two medical schools divisive for Fiji says academic

2:06 pm on 9 September 2008

Fiji's two medical schools risk undermining each other, according to the acting dean of the Fiji School of Medicine.

The University of Fiji in Lautoka opened the Umanand Prasad School of Medicine earlier this year and its vice chancellor says having another medical programme will only benefit the country's health system.

But Professor Robert Moulds of the Fiji School of Medicine says in his view, having two medical schools will mean one of them will encounter difficulties.

"My concern is staff recruitment. It's difificult to recruit staff for schools in the Pacific for tertiary education partculary the medical courses or out medical course, we can't pay very high salaries there's medical courses have been commenced in other countries and so the demand for staff is high and I think two different schools here both trying to recruit staff is not an effficient way of using our resources."

Professor Robert Moulds of the Fiji School of Medicine.