(Australia) Rent-a-doctor: Medical McDegrees For Sale Under Howard Government

http://www.alp.org.au/media/0205/msedu090.php

Rent-a-doctor: Medical McDegrees For Sale Under Howard Government

Jenny Macklin

Media Statement - 9th February 2005
The Howard Government is allowing Samoan-based Oceania University of Medicine (OUM) to sell online medical degrees to Australians for a cost of $133,000.

The Howard Government is allowing the business to trade under the name 'university' despite the fact that it is not recognised as a university by the Victorian Government.

This is further evidence that the Howard Government is not concerned with the reputation and quality of Australian universities.

The Samoan-based Oceania University of Medicine (OUM) is a registered business set up in Victoria. It offers Australians a three year medical degree almost entirely online for $43,000 per year. Applications are made through the business's Miami office.

People do not want to be treated by doctors who have bought an online medical degree and haven't met high academic standards. People must have confidence that their doctors are properly trained.

The Howard Government must protect Australian universities and students against unscrupulous fly-by-night operators trying to cash in on Australia's strong international reputation.

If Education Minister Brendan Nelson follows through with his threat to water down the definition of a university, he will open the flood-gates to a sea of fly-by-night degree providers.

Brendan Nelson wants to water-down protection of the Australian university system:

…one of the things I am determined to do is to re-examine the definition of a university in Australia.

… we need more choice, more flexibility and one of the things I will be raising with the states is a re-definition of what is a university. (Doorstop — 17/11/2004).

Under the Nelson plan, the word 'university' will be robbed of any meaning and Australia will be awash with McDegrees that aren't worth the paper they are written on.

Instead of putting Australia's good name at risk and watering down what it means to be a university, the Howard Government should be protecting Australia's high standing and international reputation.

 

Oceania University of Medicine in Samoa Gets Slammed

Oceania University of Medicine in Samoa Gets Slammed
9 February 2005 - Samoalive News Bureau

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The Australian media has reported that the Opposition deputy leader Jenny Macklin has accused the government of permitting the sale of "McDegrees" to students who undertake a three year, online medical course through a university based in Samoa.

Ms Macklin said federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson allowed the Oceania University of Medicine to register as a business in Melbourne last August, offering medical degrees to Australian students for $133,000.

She said she would not expect such degrees to be recognised in Australia.

Neither did she know how many students the course had attracted, if any.

"Unfortunately this business is not properly established as a university, has not been through the proper processes to be registered as a university but the Howard government has allowed it to continue.

"This of course is a major danger for Australian students."

Ms Macklin said she was concerned about students not knowing what they were getting into as they could not practise medicine in Australia.
Recently the Oceania University of Medicine announced the appointment of a highly qualified Samoan medical doctor, Dr Satupaitea Viali as the head of the university. The online university has been a controversial project ever since it was established at Motootua next door to the National Hosipital.

 

I came across OUM about 6 weeks ago. I emailed them and asked if they would be interested in my services to ensure this issue did not occur. I never heard from them. Such is life.

Cheers,

George

 

Jenny Macklin is Deputy leader of the Federal Opposition in Australia and my local member. This is the same Jenny Macklin who took NO interest in Greenwich when it was claiming Australian accreditation, and would not even honour an appointment to speak with me, acknowledge faxes, or return phone calls.

Has she changed attitudes? ... or is it the political floundering of a party that is losing influence by the hour, and that can't get the most basic things the right way up?

This University is NOT in Australia - Samoa is not a part of Australia in any way - it is not even a Territory like Norfolk Island is. I don't see how the Federal Government can stop this outfit from operating in Cyberspace - it is not claiming Australian accreditation unless I have read wrongly nor is the 'Univewrsity' set up in my State. Also I can't find it registered here using the word 'university' although I understand that there is a service entity set up using the acronym "OUM". Applications however are made though the US.

However I don't support this sort of 'offering' particularly having witnessed the long hard slog my second son has taken here to become an Oncologist. I also understand that any graduate applicants would at best have to go through the very extensive qualifiation program [up to 4 years] that a non first world trained doctor would have to go through to gain even restricted practising rights.

 

Re: Re: (Australia) Rent-a-doctor: Medical McDegrees For Sale Under Howard Government

It has an office in Victoria..and is attracting Australian students so I can see why your folks would be interested. 8 weeks of physical attendance at a medical school doesn't seem appropriate considering what your son has been through,eh?

 

They also advertised heavily in the media for course developers and faculty. The writing was on the wall.

Cheers,

George

 

The issue at the moment is whether the 'University' is 'operating' in Victoria. A service company certainly is. The cyberfaculty does not raise the 'issue' necessary as that doesn't determine that a 'University' is 'operating' - I work for a New Zealand Government owned degree granting institution, but that deosn't make the operational here. My compnay used to also prepare people for UoL degrees but that didn't mean that UoL was operating here.

The other side of the coin is that the press have highlighted this and frankly, anyone fool enough to enroll possibly deserves what they get. The fees anyway are not that far away from full fee paying here, and with the Australia ffp degree at least you are more or less guaranteed a place in a Royal College for your 6 years specialisation hospital based training.

As George and I both know, the legalities of addressing these issues is quite maddening and sometimes legally impossible. Just look at West Coast University Panama ... the same thing in effect but wearing a differnt suit of clothes. I will be talking with Spring Street Monday AM and will raise this and I expect the answer to be '...our hands are tied...'.

 

Here's an interesting response from OUM.

http://abc.net.au/ra/news/stories/s1299477.htm

Excerpts:

Ms Macklin says Australians do not want to be treated by doctors who have bought a medical degree off the internet.

But the institution says it has never purported to be an Australian university.

The OUM's international vice-chancellor of global operations, Surindar Cheema, says anyone applying for one of their degrees knows they will not be able to practice outside Samoa.

"It's absolutely clear, we tell all our students that we are a service provider to a university that is based in Samoa and that our degrees are a foreign medical degree."

"We also tell our students that they are unable to practice in Australia when they graduate," he said.

Why Australians would pay 100,000 AU dollars for that is kind of hard to understand. (Maybe too much vegemite.)

Or maybe Australians are having more success getting their offshore MDs recognized in Australia than Surindar Cheema wants to admit.

That's probably the real issue here, just as it is in the United States. There are a great many doubtful offshore medical schools operating with minimal oversight out there, and apparently many of their names find their way into the WHO listing and their graduates are getting medical licenses around the world.

 

To operate or not to operate - that is the question

From the website at http://www.oceaniamed.org/contact.htm

To reach administration and faculty in Australia:

OUM Educational Services Australia Pty. Ltd.
16 Business Park Drive
Notting Hill
Victoria
Australia 3168

Telephone: 61-3-9558-8333
Fax: 61-3-9558-8355

Email: [email protected]

So there is:

* A Phone number
* An Office
* Administration
* Faculty

Unfortunately, this 'appears', in my books, to be operating. For OUM is operate as a University in Victoria, it needs to seek the Minister's approval under S.10 of the Tertiary Education Act 1993. Unfortunately, they did not do this, hence the excitement.

Cheers,

George

 

Full fees here seem to be between $133,000 and $210,000 if they fail to get a Government funded place. From my enquiries today it seems that it is pitched towards foreign students wandering around out here trying to 'buy' a place.

Whether the student is an Australian or a Callathumpian will not alter the requirements for recognition of their degrees. This will require years [plural] university work plus post university supervised hospital training of up to 6 years to meet the requirements of one the the Royal Colleges - surgeons, physicians, GPs etc. Without that they have no Medicare number and are totally hospital bound - consulting or private practice are not an opition. Hospital work will pay around $100-$130K a year, and consulting $10-$15K per half day session with private insured patients - yes $45-$60K a week based on current figures in my files.

On these figures I dare say some one will take the risk?

 

Re: To operate or not to operate - that is the question

Point taken, except this NOT the university, and the argument is that [1] it is NOT operating a university here but in Cyberspace and on a non Australian island, and [2] that Jenny Macklin is Labour and both houses of Parliament are effectively controlled by the Liberals now and absolutely from 1st July.

My comments are not tainted because I am a liberal [small "L"] - doesn't the Minister reside in your City except when he hides in the Hoggs garage in Canberra? If not, he still is a crow eater so you should have some influence there

In short it sucks, and looks like Greenwich all over again. I'll visit Notting Hill early next week - they may need an education consultant? Maybe my PhD [Education] from UIL will help?

 

Re: Re: To operate or not to operate - that is the question

I spoke to them circa 6 weeks ago and warned them...they did nothing. That sort of 'head in the sand' approach doesn't deserve help.

Cheers,

George

 

Re: Re: Re: To operate or not to operate - that is the question

But ... an unaccredited PhD may help

You may look far too clean