The President of NUI Galway, Dr Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh has welcomed the Government's announcement of a range of new initiatives to support Medical Education and Training.

A €200 million initiative for major reform of medical education and training from undergraduate level through to postgraduate specialist training was announced by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health & Children, Mary Harney, T.D. and the Minister for Education & Science, Mary Hanafin, T.D. in Dublin on Wednesday, 1st February 2006.

The main reforms include increasing the number of medical places for Irish and EU students over a four year period from 305 to 725, as well as the introduction of a new graduate entry programme for medicine from 2007 as part of the overall expansion of places.

Dr Ó Muircheartaigh welcomed the announcement and described the programme of reforms as "highly significant for the education and healthcare sector in Ireland."

"On behalf of NUI Galway and the University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, I wholeheartedly welcome these initiatives. We in NUI Galway look forward to engaging in this planned expansion with the two Government departments as soon as possible."

The Dean of Medicine & Health Sciences at NUI Galway, Dr Philip A. Carney, praised the government for the initiative.

"We in the Faculty greatly appreciate the work and commitment of both ministers and their departments to the reform of medical education. We look forward to the opportunity of launching our graduate entry programme for students and welcome the proposal that eight new Academic Clinician posts will be created nationally this year."

ENDS