The University of Technology Sydney has scuppered a proposal to drop postgraduate courses in palliative care. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
These cuts were part of a drastic restructuring plan to plug a $100 million hole in the UTS budget. More than 160 courses were to be scrapped.
A public outcry ensued. State MPs and leading doctors protested that discontinuing palliative care courses could thwart the Government’s plans for providing quality end-of-life care.
UTS is one of only two universities in Australia providing postgraduate courses in palliative care. The other is Flinders University in Adelaide. Its original plan called for discontinuing an online graduate certificate, a graduate diploma, and a master’s in palliative care.
Palliative care is the medical specialty dealing with the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the dying, helping them to live as well as possible in their last days.
UTS vice-chancellor Andrew Parfitt said that UTS had heeded feedback from staff, students, and other stakeholders.
“We listened and considered that feedback and have identified some preliminary outcomes that balance the need to ensure the university is financially sustainable with the desire to lay a strong foundation for long-term success and delivery of high-quality education and research for our communities,” Professor Parfitt said in a statement.
Philip Lee, a former palliative medicine physician at Westmead Hospital, was a leading figure in lobbying UTS to reverse its plans. More than 1300 people signed his e-petition to the Legislative Council.
“It was a relief that this education can now continue, so that palliative care can keep growing,” Dr Lee said.
He said that it showed the importance of “advocacy from the community”.
“Palliative care will impact everybody, unfortunately, at some stage, and it’s just so important that the education is there so that we have experienced qualified staff to provide it.”
FULL STORY
UTS reverses palliative care cuts (By Michael Cook, The Catholic Weekly)
