Robert Byrne, a Riverina doctor for more than 50 years, has renewed calls for the Murray Darling Medical School to be established as a solution to a widespread shortage of general practitioners. 

The school, first supported by Member for Riverina Michael McCormack in 2013, was skipped over in last month’s budget.

Instead a new Central Coast medical school was funded, despite its location one-and-a-half hours from five existing Sydney medical schools.

Dr Byrne said urban-born and trained doctors struggle to cope in the Riverina due to isolation from loved ones and longer hours. 

He had “run out of fingers and toes” to count the number who left.

“If they are coming from a Sydney-based background, or from Melbourne, or from other metropolitan areas, they often find coming to a country area is like a trip to Mars,” Dr Byrne said.

The call has been backed by Charles Sturt University vice-chancellor Andrew Vann, a longtime advocate.

Professor Vann said there was “widespread evidence” that rural medical schools were a solution to doctor shortages and there was demand to study medicine in the region.

“In our other programs 70 to 80 per cent are regional recruits that go back to regional practice,” he said.

“The other example in Australia which is a genuinely regional school, James Cook, two thirds of their students are still in regional practice two, three years after they graduate.”

Professor Vann said he was hopeful that funding for the school could be made an election promise by candidates.

Mr McCormack said he was still “fighting hard for it”, however, was not in a position to make an election commitment to the school. 

“I don’t promise anything that is going to be difficult to deliver, I don’t promise anything that I know I can’t deliver,” he said.  “I’ll keep advocating for it, but it’s not on the immediate promise list from the Coalition.”