Sinn Fein MLA Maeve McLaughlin
SINN Féin MLA Maeve McLaughlin has called for a medical school to be established at Magee in Derry.
The Foyle MLA and chair of the Assembly’s health committee said: “Sinn Féin have been calling for the establishment of a medical school at Magee for a number of years both to address the need for more doctors and to create more opportunities at the university.
“I welcome today’s meeting between health minister Simon Hamilton and the University of Ulster Vice Chancellor, Professor Paddy Nixon, to discuss a proposal to set up a Graduate Entry Medical school in the north west.
“It would make perfect sense to establish such a medical school at Magee.
“Derry is ideally placed for a Graduate Entry Medical School as we have a state of the art hospital, including the new cancer centre, on our doorstep in Altnagelvin.
“Magee also has already established a reputation for medical innovation through its relationship with C-TRIC and the opportunities presented with the roll out of the North West Health Innovation Corridor.
“There is a clear lack of doctors in the Western Trust area and across the North generally and a new medical school would help address that and reduce locum costs.
“I would now call on the health department officials to seriously work with the university and others to develop this proposal to ensure that this medical school is developed at Magee,” added the Foyle MLA.
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