News Story

Altruism is becoming de rigueur among the new generation of medical students. Leigh Parry reports.

It is no exaggeration to suggest that the up-and-coming generation of medical practitioners has a completely different profile to that of its predecessors. Technology savvy and pushing for flexible working practices, this group is keen to pursue a healthy work-life balance.

However, a growing interest in global health issues suggests that altruism could soon be another defining characteristic of this group.

At the recent Global Health Conference, hosted by the Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA), altruism was a central theme. The conference itself centred on a quote made famous by Nelson Mandela: “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation.”

For AMSA, the quote was a call to arms to the next generation of medical students.

According to AMSA president Michael Bonning, the new generation of medical students was beginning to appreciate the globalised environment that would inevitably impact on health care at a national and international level. The culture of medical schools, he said, had changed from the days when students who were concerned about issues such as Indigenous health or global warming were regarded as “a bit weird”.

“A strong social conscience is now not out of the ordinary,” Mr Bonning said. “As a group of medical students, we have a real opportunity to have some bold actions come out of this.”

There was a strong awareness among students of the need for regional interaction and cooperation with other countries, particularly our Asia Pacific neighbours. “If we don’t assist those countries, their [health] problems will become our own,” he said.

Professor Anthony Zwi, of the University of NSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine, had also noted the shift in attitudes and had been impressed by the “dedication and enthusiasm of students” about the issues.

Presenting at the conference, Professor Zwi discussed the wider health impact of conflict in nations such as Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan and Iraq. The level of interest in posts in such regions was encouraging, he said, with many students concerned with some of the ethical issues of “responding short term and thinking long term” after war or natural disasters.

“I think people are concerned to identify what sort of roles health workers can play,” he said. “I was surprised at how many people want to work in different ways in [these regions].”

Professor Zwi also discussed the role of the United Nations – its importance as an institution and its frailties – and encouraged students to support its work. While it “sometimes does get things wrong” and was influenced by national politics, he argued there was no counterbalance or alternative international structure that could perform this crucial role.

Professor Tony McMichael, from the Australian National University’s National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, addressed students on the issue of global climate change and the impact that extreme weather conditions – heatwaves, floods and air pollution – were having on population health.

“These impinge particularly on low-income, tropical and geographically vulnerable populations,” he said.

While governments strove to reduce carbon emissions, the health sector itself must start to scrutinise and adapt its own ways of working to introduce health-protecting strategies, he said.

He advised doctors – and future doctors – to “be proactive” in this field. The medical profession, he said, should be a leader in helping society to understand the full range of consequences from global warming and provide a “low-carbon, sustainable role-model”.

The spirit of altruism was firmly embedded into the conference itself, with organisers ensuring places for international students who would not normally have the opportunity to attend.

Funding secured from AusAid and the Sidney Myer Fund enabled 25 medical students from developing communities in the Asia-Pacific region to attend. For those students, it was a valuable insight into the key issues facing their communities.

Rachel Masta, a medical student from the University of Papua New Guinea, said the conference was a chance to talk about health inequalities with like-minded students from neighbouring countries.

“This is a vital first step towards long-term sustainable action in our region,” she said.