Alaska governor proposes funding cut for medical program

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has proposed cutting nearly $3.1 million in state funding for a program that trains medical students for service in the state.

KTVA-TV reports the University of Alaska Anchorage participates in a regional medical program where universities in Washington state, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho collaborate with the University of Washington School of Medicine to educate physicians.

The state pays about half of tuition for Alaska students in the program.

The Republican governor’s administration cited figures in budget documents indicating the number of program graduates who practiced in Alaska has dropped from 84 percent to 61 percent from 2014 to 2018.

Suzanne Allen, vice dean of the Washington medical school, says the administration’s figures are misleading because the pool includes all students in the five-state region.
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Information from: KTVA-TV, http://www.ktva.com