HE breathes, he moans, he coughs. He urinates and vomits - he can even become a she.

He doesn't complain when he's poked, prodded or injected by medical students and he will simulate a heart attack, breathing difficulties or blood pressure problems at the touch of a button.

Sam is the long-suffering new ''patient'' at Wythenshawe Hospital. He costs £30,000 and allows medics to practise on him before they get to grips with real patients.

Students at Wythenshawe Hospital and Manchester Medical School practise their life-support and resuscitation techniques on Sam, inserting needles and breathing for the patient using a squeeze bag.

Sam can move his head and has interchangeable parts to simulate different health problems. Student Jon Bell said: ''In the old days, they used to practise on people.

''But now with the legal atmosphere we need to have something as a transition.

''We always practise on dummies before going on to the wards and this one is very realistic indeed.

''Before, they never made any noise or much movement.''

Advanced

Resuscitation trainer Roy Liddle said that the new dummy was far more advanced than the last model and allows students to practise fundamental procedures.

Sam is just one piece of new equipment at the new £9m education and research centre at the hospital.

Two Victorian wards were knocked down to make way for the government-funded building, which is part of the £113m redevelopment of the site.

The centre is the base for around 300 medical students, as well as housing South Manchester University Hospitals Trust's research. Other health professionals, such as nurses, therapists, post-graduates and GPs will train there.

It is the first time that all the trust's training has been under one roof - previously, the students were spread across the Withington and Wythenshawe sites.

Dr Caroline Boggis, the trust's hospital dean for clinical studies, said: ''In my student days, no such facilities were available - so we had to be let loose on real people.''