Funding crisis averted

“The cheque is in the mail,” announced Dr. Tom Marrie, Dean of Medicine, at a medical school Town Hall held Wednesday, May 12. He was referring to reassurances given that day by Minister of Health Maureen MacDonald, that the province would reinstate at least a part of the $2.5 million it cut to the medical school’s operating funds.  

Today, Friday, May 14, a joint release from the departments of Health and Education indicated that a deal had been reached to provide Dalhousie University with $1.4 million. The remaining $1.1 million will be subject to a joint review involving the medical school and the two provincial departments.

The funding confusion arose when the government suggested the med school was "double dipping" from both the Departments of Education and Health.

“The reason given for this ($2.5 million decision) was that we weren’t really being cut, it was really a reconciliation of funding within the Department of Education and the Department of Health,” said Dr. Marrie.

The Department of Education is traditionally the source of funding for medical schools, which pays Dalhousie approximately $23,000 per seat. As a comparison, most other medical schools in Canada receive $60,000-$65,000 per seat.

But, in recent years, the provincial government authorized two increases in medical student seats. These new seats were paid for by the Department of Health at a higher level — about $56,000 each. “They were put in to meet a need at the time,” said Dr. Marrie. The seats were “…not part of the funding envelope that came from the Department of Education.”

Rather than have funding for seats continue from two different departments, the provincial government decided this year to flow it through Education only. And that’s when the problem arose. Dr. Marrie said officials with the Departments of Health and Education were mistaken when they made the funding adjustment and that the $2.5 million was not part of funding received through Education; therefore, he says, it was not a duplicate payment.

In the joint release issued today, Education Minister Marilyn More promised a review process to ensure that “future funding for the school is transparent, accountable and sustainable.”

“I believe this joint review will provide us with recommendations and advice we need to ensure the medical school is funded adequately into the future,” said Minister More.

Even though the entire $2.5 million hasn’t been restored the Dean said that the medical school is breathing a sigh of relief. 

“A loss of eight per cent of our operating budget would have had serious consequences on our accreditation.”  He added the medical school welcomes the government’s commitment to looking at adequately funding the school. “It’s critical for the future of doctor training in Nova Scotia and also to protect the millions of dollars the medical school pumps into the local economy through medical research.”