Minister for Disability and Fianna Fáil TD for Galway East, Anne Rabbitte, has welcomed a major increase in healthcare places in both Atlantic Technological University and University of Galway through the creation of new third level programmes.
Utilising funding from the National Training Fund, the course expansions come following recommendations from the Higher Education Authority (HEA ) and aim to support the growth of key healthcare disciplines, addressing critical workforce shortages and enhancing healthcare education across the country.
The programmes include:
Atlantic Technological University and University of Galway will each introduce new pharmacy programmes, doubling the number of pharmacy training programmes in Ireland.
University of Galway will also introduce a Rural and Remote Graduate Entry Medicine Stream, which will provide 48 additional medicine places per year.
“This is great for both ATU and University of Galway as well as students across Galway and the west," Minister Rabbitte said. "By expanding courses in both pharmacy and medicine in both universities, it will mean students have more choice but also, once graduated, we’re ensuring there are enough qualified people to support our expanding population in Galway and the region.
“I’m particularly pleased with the medicine programme in University of Galway, which is aimed at addressing the shortage of general practitioners in rural Ireland," she added. "If we want more GPs in our communities, we need to invest in these courses and it’s great to see them being rolled out in the west.
“[The] announcement is part of a wider investment in higher education places in the University of Limerick, which will introduce a direct entry medicine programme, and the Royal College of Surgeons, which will receive support for their Dental Surgery programme, as well as a new pharmacy programme in the South East Technological University. Overall, this will double the number of pharmacy programmes in Ireland and make pharmacy education available in new regions,” Minister Rabbitte concluded.
