PHGN

In November 2010, The Lancet published the findings of The Commission on Education of Health Professionals for the 21st Century.  The study was sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the China Medical Board.

The report is titled ‘Transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world.’

My question is – “Shouldn’t more effort and funding be put into making healthcare education more accessible and affordable?” After all the best way to strengthen any healthcare system is have more trained people to run it.  And the high cost of medical/healthcare education is often a deterrent to aspiring students.

As the report itself points out – ‘The average cost per graduate is $113,000 for medical students and $46,000 for nurses, with unit costs highest in North America and lowest in China.’  The findings also point out that the total global expenditure for health professional education is about US$100 billion per year, less than 2% of health expenditures worldwide.’

Cost effective methods of training public health professionals should be a priority for education and training.