Medical students used to enjoy a scholarship before 2015 and this was called the MRBS Scheme or Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship Scheme, which was available for a period of 15 years.  The scholarship provided a study allowance to cover the cost of study and living during medical school and had a value of $25,500.00 per year. Once medical students had finished their studies, they had to complete a "return of service" work in rural areas to pay back the scholarship given to them.  Those who were eligible for the scheme were medical students regardless of their academic achievement, which meant it was a great incentive for any citizen wanting to be a doctor, as all they needed to do was simply do their return of service in a rural area, to pay back their scholarship.  This was a surprisingly very good benefit offered by the Howard Government, (which not many people knew about) that lasted until early 2015.

In May 2015, the Department of Health announced that the MRBSS was scrapped and replaced by the Bonded Medical Places (BMP) Scheme which is supposed to increase the number of places of doctors in Metro-rural areas, but it offered no scholarship to any medical student.  This meant new medical students will rely on Austudy allowance, limited competitive scholarships, or on their kind-hearted family members and relatives, for the very least, accommodation.  The removal of the MRBSS also suggested that either only high academic achievers of undergraduate studies-- those already benefiting from past scholarships, or rich kids could survive medical school or ultimately even be doctors!

Some Medical Schools in Australia require students to start the program in full time study.  The University of Sydney, Doctor of Medicine program insists that their students start on full-time mode, and then if permission was granted after two years into the program, only are they allowed to switch to part-time mode.  Studying part time, starting in their third year, will allow them to find work and pay for the additional cost for study or settle debts.  Though having a little more money in third year is good, it still doesn't resolve the issue of having more time to devote to serious study especially for those belonging to underprivileged backgrounds. 

Devoting quality time for study often produces better graduates.  If the government's aim is to produce high quality doctors, then they must begin by ensuring students are provided with the best avenue to devote time to serious study.  In addition, others believe that the skills shortage in Australia is due to the fact, that most students are pressured to work while they complete their qualifications, and this is which causes the shortage in high quality skills expected of professionals.

Not that work isn't beneficial to complement studies.  It is discovered that often what affects students is not work itself, but the abuses received at work.  Many agree that employers do a number of things described as workplace bullying i.e. under pay workers; physically and psychologically abuse staff; initiation pranks; disrespectful treatment; and of creating scenarios that seriously disadvantage individuals, such as unfair allocation of work.  Often workplace bullying leads to resignation or termination of employment which, put the working student in a risk of discontinuing studies, as expenses and debts need to be paid in order to survive.       

Although places for doctors had seemingly increased under BMP, medical students will now be facing greater hardship, compared to past MRBSS students. In fact, those under the MRBS scheme had enjoyed a higher allowance, and a better quality student life, in comparison to students starting under BMP.  Present students are supposed to be better off than their predecessors as it should be, because the next generation are expected to be at an advantage or improved in comparison  to the past generation which reflects progress.

Those who decided on discontinuing the MRBSS failed to account for the capital required to produce good quality doctors, as limited scholarships and Austudy alone fail to address these requirements.  If increasing spaces for doctors geographically by building more clinics was intended, policy makers are forgetting those who work in them. If the MRBS lasted 15 years it must've been beneficial and should've only stayed.  Most people now believe, the scholarship shouldn't have been discontinued, and either return the MRBS or introduce a new scheme with adequate scholarship.