Oh Dear, what a lot of mis-information and confusion! I work in a medical school as a Statistical Geneticist and Senior Lecturer and do indeed teach Darwinian theroy (and lots else besides) to medical students and biomedical science students. As to why this is useful, let me outline the course and perhaps that will help. The 5 year MBBS course focuses the first two years on basic science and life science with a small element of clinical observation and shadowing. The final 3 years are then predominantly clinically based with increasing elements of 'doing' rather than 'observing' as the students progress. As to why Darwinian evolution is useful - its all part of underlying biology. Its useful to know about gene expression, about familial inheritance of disease, about the genetic basis of disease and how transmission of mutations from one generation to the next can transmit conditions and risk of disease to offspring. Medicine is not all about 'see disease, treat disease with drug y'. The vast majority is advising on risks, answering patient questions about their treatment, condition or risk to their family and dependants. Medicine is underpinned by knowing WHY and HOW, not just knowing 'see disease X, give Drug Y'. I am sure you would all want your GP to to know why he was giving you the drug he is giving you, not just because some book said so? I am sure you all ask your GP advice about the ailment you have gone to him with, and do not expect him to say 'no idea, I just give drug y becaue the book tells me to'. As pharmacogenetics becomes viable (prescribing drugs in response to your genes effectively) your doctor will need to understand even more about genetics, and drug interactions with genes. Darwininan evolution suffers from being caught up in religious debate, but as a scientific hypothesis its still the best explanation for understanding familial genetics that we have today and no exceptions to it have yet been found that I am aware of (ie no evidence for creationism or intelligent design).
As for whether students today are worth the degrees they get - I can only speak for the courses I lecture on - Medicine and Biomedical Science. We routinely fail students on our courses. We have a particularly high hurdle at the end of year 2 prior to clinical practice - students who do not know the underlying theory don't even get chance to put it into practice. What is 9k per year in student fees compared to the reputational hit of putting out poorly performing doctors? We would be shut down very quickly and rightly so.
Regarding GPs and the 'scale' of medical careers, most students do not specialise to any great degree at University, only doing so after they have left us. There is a continual cycle of learning and training through what used to be called house officer, senior house officer, registrar, specialist registrar and then consultant. (these grades are renamed every few years depending on numerous reviews but these are the most well known classifications). Consultant level posts typically come at the age of 35ish, and attract a base salary in the region of 75k. Private practice to any great degree is limited prior to this, so the big money comes from this age onwards. Different specialties have different levels of private practice, and therefore income. Surgery is high, plastic surgery very high. If people are willing to pay then doctors will be willing to treat privately. You are paying to be seen quickly and in nicer surroundings than the NHS may afford you, or for procedures that may not be avialable on the NHS. You may as well argue that bespoke furniture makers shouldn't get paid any more than a site joiner if you feel medics that offer private practice make too much money from it - both will charge what the market will bear.
Steve
