‘Other areas that need scholarship’

Waqainabete clears air on programs

MINISTER for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete says there are other areas in the medical field that will need scholarship support apart from the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programs.

Responding to public concerns on the support by the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Board (TSLB) to new and continuing students, he said the ministry had reached its maximum in employing graduates.

“We have reached our critical mass and again as being alluded to by the TSLB, there’s another 780 still waiting in the wings to come through and I know for sure that there will be people who will want to do medicine so our numbers are good,” he said.

“I am concerned from a health perspective about the areas where we want to boost our numbers.

“We need more bio-medical engineers and we need people to be interested in supporting oncology services.

“Apart from being a doctor, there is a lot of support needed around oncological services.

“So from my point of view that also needs a lot of support.”

He said the ministry would offer advice to the Ministry of Education in providing scholarships for these particular medical fields.

“We also have to understand that a doctor alone doesn’t do everything. It’s a team effort.

“So what are we interested in now is we will ensure to give advice to the Ministry of Education to provide scholarships in the places that support the work of everyone.”