Medicals schools are increasingly moving away from traditional curriculum and adopting a modern approach dictated by changing nature of illnesses, such as patients with multiple illnesses and chronic diseases, said a top Australian medical professor.

'The traditional pattern of medical education was being challenged by the complexity of illnesses,' said Foundation Dean, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong Australia, Professor John Hogg while delivering a lecture on 'A medical school for the 21st century' at the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD).

He cited the case of the UAE where '30 per cent of the population is diabetic and another 30 per cent pre-diabetic.'

Presenting his personal experience in building a new medical school at the University of Wollongong in Australia, Prof Hogg said the need to train doctors to practice medicine in non-metropolitan areas was severe.

Australia, like the rest of the developed world, faces a significant shortage of qualified doctors and medical personnel. The problem is even more compounded in rural areas as the majority of doctors choose to establish their practices in main cities.

Describing the curriculum development process adopted by the University of Wollongong, he said the choice was either to take a curriculum off the shelf or create a new one from scratch. They opted for the latter, building on the best practices of medical colleges from across Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the US.

Prof. Nick Van der Walt, CEO of UOWD, in his welcome address, said the lecture was in tune with UOWD's culture of encouraging sharing of ideas. The strong turnout of medical professionals and government officials from Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman, was proof that the topic had strong relevance in the region, he added.- TradeArabia News Service