THE final touches are being put an over-due report into the need for a new medical school in Derry.
Sinn Fein Foyle MP Elisha McCallion has urged the Department of Health to publish the findings of the Gardiner Report.
The former Mayor of Derry says it is holding up progress on the new medical school at the Magee campus in Derry.
The report is part of a business plan required by the department, and should have been submitted in March this year.
Ms McCallion said: “It’s my understanding that the Gardiner Report, which looks at the future needs of medical provision and doctors here in the North, has been completed.
“The findings of this report are key to moving forward the establishment of a graduate entry medical school and putting the university’s Magee campus on the map as a centre of excellence.
“This is a key element to unlocking the city’s unique circumstances and reaching its full potential as set out in the Strategic Growth Plan, produced by and for the people of the north west.
“The Department of Health must now release the findings of the Gardiner Report to allow the medical school project to move forward.”
The General Medical Council has already lent its support to a medical school based in the city.
The proposed Northern Ireland Graduate Entry Medical School will select students who have already completed an undergraduate degree and provide them with four years of intensive, practical medical education
It is seen as a solution to the Western Trust’s recruitment woes which has led to a serious portion of its annual budget being spent on locum doctors.
The medical school is also expected to help address the continuing drop in doctors going into general practice in the north west.
At present, training of doctors in Northern Ireland is only available in Belfast.
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