THE University of Bradford’s plan to open a medical school to help train a new generation of doctors is a hugely exciting one.

West Yorkshire is particularly poorly placed when it comes to doctor training with the only existing medical school being in Leeds.

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As the University of Bradford already enjoys a national reputation for the quality of its nursing training, it seems an entirely natural step to extend this to doctors.

But there are other major reasons why creating a medical school in Bradford makes perfect sense.

This district, as well as neighbouring Kirklees, is in the bottom 20 places in the country for the proportion of GPs per head of population.

Research shows that people who train local tend to stay local.

That fact, combined with the opportunities on offer at the district’s hospitals, means there is a natural career path for trainee doctors to follow.

And not least, there are significant economic benefits to be had with the creation of a medical school.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has pledged to increase the supply of home-grown doctors by up to an additional 1,500 places a year and the Department of Health is now examining ways that can be done.

University chiefs in Bradford say they are “ready, willing and able” to step in to provide some of those places.

That pledge needs to be heard loud and clear in Whitehall when these crucial decisions are made.

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