Mayor Michaela Boyle says green light for medical school marks a 'great day for Derry'

She said: “The Graduate Medical Entry School at Magee is a key catalyst regeneration project that has been identified by Council and key partners as critical in assisting us all achieve growth and prosperity for the Derry City and Strabane District Council area and wider North West City Region.

“A Medical School in Derry will complement and support the existing positive work being carried out by the Clinical Translational Research and Innovation Centre (CTRIC) and Cognitive Analytics Research Laboratory (CARL).

"In tandem, the announcement today will allow us to produce GPs for the North West region and provide us with a test bed for the development of key technologies in a clinical and academic setting. It will allow CTRIC to explore new opportunities in terms of facilitating new research in geonomics and the use of cognitive analytics in the area of general medicine.”

She said the project had full cross-party support and its significance to the North West and to the north as a whole was widely acknowledged, with Derry City and Strabane District Council also voting unanimously on a number of occasions in support of the project.

She commented: “With its educational focus on general practice, there is substantive evidence that the Graduate Entry Medical programme delivers doctors who are likely to remain in the region in which they trained. A local Medical School will therefore provide a clear route to improving the health of the city and district and wider region in the medium to long-term by increasing the number of doctors working and living locally.

“The current pressures on the healthcare system due to COVID-19 have further highlighted the need to equip our communities with medical professionals of the highest order and news that the Medical School is going ahead couldn’t come at a better time.”

Acknowledging receipt of the funding the Mayor said she was confident that Ulster University can now meet the General Medical Council requirement to facilitate the recruitment and admissions for an initial intake of students in September 2021.

Derry City and Strabane District Council Chief Executive John Kelpie said: “A medical school is an essential resource for the North West with the potential to boost the region’s profile as a centre of clinical excellence and innovation, in tandem with the pioneering research work that is currently taking place at Altnagelvin. This is excellent news for the city and district and the wider region with the potential to transform our future for the better.

“In terms of capital development the proposed riverfront development planned to facilitate the Medical School and expansion will also have a positive impact on Derry’s city centre, driving footfall and commerce into the heart of the city.”

John Kelpie added that the Council is committed to continuing to work with Ulster University, Government and a range of stakeholders and partners to deliver on all these catalyst regeneration projects.

“By working in collaboration, and with a joint ambition to bring about growth and prosperity and a better future for our young people, we can make this happen.”