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Thai health academics visit UNE

November 29, 2005

Group of Thai academics from Naresuan UniversityA group of eight Thai health academics is visiting The University of New England for a three-week study tour. The purpose of the visit is to give the group a first-hand look at the Australian medical system, and to share strategies for rural health education, administration and practice.

The academics have attended seminars at UNE and visited a number of rural health centres, including Tamworth Base Hospital, the Northwest Slopes Division of General Practice, and general practices in Manilla, Barraba and Bingara. At the conclusion of their tour, the Thai academics will give a presentation to a delegation of local hospital registrars and general practioners about what they have learned from comparing the medical systems of Australia and Thailand.

The visit is the latest in a series of exchanges between UNE and Naresuan University. Earlier this year, two UNE academics visited Thailand to meet with academics and health officials, and to tour Thai health facilities. Last year, UNE hosted a visit to New England by 14 senior Thai health officials to discuss how the establishment of rural medical schools in Thailand is staving a haemorrhage of doctors and health workers from rural areas to the city.

The experience in Thailand has been that doctors educated in rural areas stay in rural areas. Academics at UNE are keen to replicate that success with a rural medical school of their own, according to David Briggs, the organiser of the latest visit, and the Coordinator of Health Management and Gerontology Programs at UNE's School of Health.

“We're very interested in Narasuen University because they've demonstrated an innovative approach to rural health care with their rural medical school,” Mr Briggs said.

“We believe that while the city-based medical schools offer good programs, the real success in the retention of rural medical professionals is achieved through rural medical schools. It's something we think Australia needs to be looking at very seriously.”

Mr Briggs said, “From our point of view this visit is about promoting the programs of UNE and giving [the Thai academics] a look inside the Australian medical system. For them, it's a chance to look at what we've got here. In addition to primary medicine, they're interested in health care management—which is an area in which UNE has a good deal of expertise—to address some of the challenges they face in their system.”

Mr Briggs acknowledged the involvement of local health services in the visit, and said the success of the project had been made possible by the contributions of Dr John Fraser of Hunter New England Health and the New England Area Training Service (Dr Fraser is also an Adjunct Professor at UNE).

The leader of the Naresuan delegation, Professor Boonchob Pongpanich, said he and his colleagues had found the tour enlightening, especially the chance to see how Australia recruits and trains general practioners.

“The medical system in Australia is far more advanced than Thailand in respect to family practice. At home, most young graduate doctors want to become specialists. They don't want to become GPs, but what we need is more GPs. We want to learn how the GP system works in Australia, in terms of the training, recruiting and retention of medical students and GPs.”

For more information contact David Briggs on 0411 471 203 or Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3771. A photograph is available to accompany this story.

Posted by Leon Braun at November 29, 2005 09:47 AM