Overseas-trained doctors are set to be fast-tracked to work in communities across Australia facing GP shortages.
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The nation's peak body for general practitioners says it will simplify its processes for international medical graduates as it tries to get more GPs into communities that need them sooner.
The assessment and accreditation processes will be easier for applicants, the minimum time for their training reduced, and the type of training considered applicable widened under new measures to be brought in by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
College president Dr Nicole Higgins said she hoped to get more GPs into communities that need them sooner.
"We've committed to doing what we can to make it simpler, less onerous, and more streamlined," she said.
The changes come as a response to a federal government review of regulatory settings for health professionals, independently led by former NSW health secretary Robyn Kruk.
Dr Higgins said she warned against Ms Kruk's recommendation that comparability assessments - which determine if a specialist international medical graduate (IMG) is competent and safe to practise in Australia - are transitioned to the Australian Medical Council.
"The inquiry into the 'Dr Death' case at Bundaberg Base Hospital made clear the risks to patient safety when specialist colleges don't have responsibility for assessing specialist IMGs," she said.
"We cannot risk this happening again."
Dr Higgins said training and comparability assessments must also consider where international medical graduates work.
"Rural doctors need to have the right skills and ability to work independently because there is often less support available, as well as cultural safety training," she said.
Dr Higgins said she largely supported the report's other recommendations, including a single portal for applications, the removal of labour market testing for employers sponsoring visas for priority practitioners, broadening age exemptions for permanent skilled visas to include key practitioners, and continued workforce support and demand modelling.
She said international medical graduates make up about 50 per cent of Australia's rural medical workforce.
"They make a valuable contribution to the communities in which they work and live," Dr Higgins said.
"There is much more we can do to make their journey here easier, and ensure they have the support to thrive."
In a submission handed to this year's Senate Joint Standing Committee on Migration, Dr Higgins warned worker shortages across the health sector were leading to poorer health outcomes and lower life expectancy, particularly in rural and remote areas.
"Australia's health system is in crisis and one of the key issues is that we have a shortage of workers right across the board, including GPs, pharmacists and nurses," she said at the time.
Since 2020, overseas graduates have represented about 45 per cent of all GPs in Australia, and more than 50 per cent of GPs have attained their medical degree overseas.
Australian Associated Press
