According to Rudd Government's $145 million plan, private hospitals will become training fields for medical graduates in order to amplify specialists.

Since most surgical procedures are performed in private hospitals, they will be needed to play a bigger role in training as the Government seeks to make room for a swell in graduates from 2012.

Yesterday, specialist colleges said that they intend to increase training numbers to overcome dearth.

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons President, Ian Gough said that expansion in training places of 20 to 30% were planned for some areas, such as the orthopedic and general categories.

Australian and New Zealand College of Anesthetists President, Leona Wilson said that the college was "ready and willing to train as many specialist anesthetists in the public and, increasingly, the private system, as there are funded positions".

She added that procedures have already been prepared to meet the soaring training demands, which are a result of the additional graduates coming out of medical schools. It is expected that the number of medical graduates will reach its pinnacle in 2012.

Dr. Wilson said that the college had been requesting the Government to sponsor an increased number of training places for years.