No medicine scholarships in 2025 BUT it will be reopened

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Scholarships for students studying medicine will still not available next year but the minister of health and medical services Dr. Paul Popora Bosawai has told parliament on Wednesday that it will be re-opened.

Dr Bosawai was responding to a question from the MP for Aoke/Langalanga and the Leader of Opposition Matthew Wale—during the Committee Stage of the 2025 Budget— who wanted to know if medical scholarships will be brought back on the scholarship list.

Minister of Education Torzen Leokana told parliament that all scholarships in regional institutions for medicine are still being suspended.

He said the advice not to include medicine scholarships comes from the ministry of health and medical services.

However, Dr Bosawai, who is the minister responsible for medical doctors, said next year he would bring a paper to Cabinet to endorse the re-opening of medical scholarships.

The minister said the issue had already been discussed by him and his colleagues from education and public service.

He said it is part of their health workforce and it is not only a domestic issue—but globally has a 10,000,000 deficit of health workers.

“So next year we will get a cabinet paper and get back scholarships for medicine,” he said.