“No job cuts. The limited number must be eliminated in a reasonable way”

PADUA – «We have not removed anything, they are provisional numbers. We have opened a table to broaden access in a planned manner». These are the words of Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of University and Research, guest at theinauguration of the 801st academic year of the University of Padua. The topic is hot: the places available in Medicine.

Bernini signed a decree with the provisional numbers assigned to each university: 643 in Veneto and 328 in Friuli Venezia Giuliato which another 12 and 2 must be added respectively for non-EU students living abroad. So 56 fewer registered than the previous year. A cut that has sparked the debate given that since the beginning of the pandemic they have continued to say that there is a lack of doctors, to the point that on some occasions the president of Veneto Luca Zaia has proposed to completely abolish the limited number.

Padua had tried to do its part. Even when the rector was Rosario Rizzuto and the current head of the Bo, Daniela Mapelli, was vice-rector of Didactics, it was possible to obtain authorization from the Miur to create a Medicine and surgery course in Englishthus increasing the number of places available. And for the next academic year, Bo had asked for even more places. Instead, according to the decree, Padua would lose 51 registrations, Treviso 1 and as far as non-EU students are concerned, there are fewer 25 places in the city of the Saint.

But it would all be a false alarm. “From April we will have some news, we have not removed seats – explained Bernini – We must eliminate the limited number in a reasonable way, we have to train new doctors on the basis of today’s and tomorrow’s needs. These are numbers that must be disaggregated by making projections on the future». The rectress added: «There was a misunderstanding about Medicine. The admission tests will be done twice a year so it was necessary for the first time to anticipate the numbers a lot. The interlocutions are not over yet, he took last year’s numbers but the numbers of the courses for non-EU students are missing. The Miur is actually working to increase the numbers in Medicine ».

«In reality nothing happened – said the dean of the School of Medicine, Angelo Paolo Dei Tos before the ceremony – The minister has provisionally anticipated the number of candidates that we can enlist. For us there are 421+9 non-EU which are precisely the numbers we had planned. As for the need for doctors throughout the Veneto, 900 would be needed ».

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in Il Gazzettino