§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2004,Official Report, column 613W, on medical trainees (electives), what the total cost in England was of sending undergraduate medical students on electives in 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [184207]
§ Mr. HuttonThere is no cost to the national health service where undergraduate medical students decide to go abroad to gain experience as part of their training.
Individual university medical schools determine their own undergraduate medical curriculum in the light of recommendations from the General Medical Council's education committee, which has the statutory responsibility to determine the extent, knowledge and skill required for the granting of primary medical 635W qualifications in the United Kingdom. We welcome any educational experience that adds to a student's knowledge of medicine and broadens his or her experience of, and perspective on, healthcare systems at home and overseas.