Budget surgery cuts deep at U of A

By Elise Stolte, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON — Fewer new students will be accepted into the University of Alberta's medical school next September because of recent budget cuts, the faculty's dean says.

In an e-mail sent late last week, Philip Baker, dean of the faculty of medicine and dentistry, warned students the latest round of cuts will affect their education.

Calling the financial situation "extremely difficult," he asked students to write to Advanced Education and Technology Minister Doug Horner in support of a proposed $3,400 annual tuition increase.

"We urge you to consider the bigger picture of the long-term impact of reducing medical class size as well as the impacts on your medical education and the training for future generations," Baker wrote in an e-mail dated April 1.

Registration had been increasing over the last several years as the province sought to increase the number of doctors in the province.

Last September, 188 new students were accepted. About 144 students were accepted three years ago.

Baker did not say how many spots will be eliminated this year, only that "there is no question that the number of medical students to be enrolled into this coming year will be reduced." He said a provincial decision on the tuition increase is expected Wednesday. The proposed increases, which relate to several professional faculties at the universities of Alberta and Calgary, would bring annual tuition for U of A medical students up to $15,100.

Jasmine Pawa, president of the medical students' association, said the provincial funding cuts and decrease in the number of spaces in med schools are bigger issues than the tuition proposals.

"It's tough because there is a need for more physicians in the province. That was the intent of this expansion. It is disappointing that won't be happening," she said.

Of the 190 students the university planned to accept next year, the province is only funding about 140 through its base grant, so the university could cut up to 50 spaces, Pawa said. But the exact number hasn't yet been determined.

Jennifer Nguyen, a member of the pre-medical students association, said many members are worried. Those who applied this year to the U of A expect their letters of acceptance or rejection by mid-May.

It's important for the province to have more student spaces since "students are much more likely to practise in the place where they received their training," said Ronald Kustra, spokesman for the Alberta Medical Association.

Alberta has done well increasing student spaces in the last five years, he said. "It's unfortunate that we can't be at the numbers we hoped for, but on the other hand, if you look at Alberta's track record, we're still growing."

Baker was not available for comment Monday. In the e-mail, he said the medical school suffered a further financial hit when funding from a key research granting body, the Alberta Heritage Foundation of Medical Research, was announced last Wednesday.

The foundation funds the salaries of researchers for seven years with grants worth between $110,000 and $160,000 annually. The University of Alberta won 17 new awards this year, down from the 19 it won last year, said Kathleen Thurber, spokeswoman for the foundation.

The total amount of money awarded across the province increased from $39 million last year to $43 million this year.

The province is in the process of rolling the foundation into a new funding body called Alberta Innovates Health Solutions. Thurber said there will be changes to the granting programs, but the province will still fund medical research. The new granting systems will be written over the summer and could focus more on teams and projects than individuals.

Some medical students will likely write to the minister in support of tuition increases, said third-year medical student Mary-Pat Schlosser.

This article was published in the Edmonton Journal April 6, 2010. Read the full article on the EdmontonJournal.com website.