ScotGEM Graduates Dumfries and Galloway

That the Parliament congratulates the first cohort of student doctors completing their Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) MBChB course within Dumfries and Galloway; understands that the ScotGEM programme is supporting graduates who possess a range of different scientific undergraduate degrees to pursue a career as a General Practitioner (GP); further understands that the programme is particularly focussed on preparing doctors to work in rural areas of Scotland, to address recruitment of GPs to rural areas; understands that after the students complete their initial year of university-based study, they continue with the three-year course at NHS Dumfries and Galloway, as well as other Scottish NHS boards; acknowledges and thanks Dr Fiona Graham, Director of Medical Education, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, with responsibility for the ScotGEM course, for her leadership in promoting the project and for her work in ensuring its smooth operation; thanks all local GPs who served as tutors for the new doctors; wishes the new doctors all the best to pursue wide, varied and rewarding careers in general practice, and encourages the Scottish Government to continue to take welcome steps, such as ScotGEM, to recruit healthcare professionals to Scotland, but particularly to rural areas, which it believes, have their own unique challenges.