The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has agreed to simplify its entry requirements for overseas doctors after 64 clinic closures across Queensland due to staff shortages – including one clinic in Yarabilba.
The South East Skin and Medical clinic on Yarabilba Drive was forced to close back in February this year, citing ongoing doctor shortages.
At the time, the practice posted a message to patients stating:
“We made every effort to stay open and continue delivering quality care to our beloved community but unfortunately due to the GP shortage we have simply been unable to continue doing so.”
The centre specialised in comprehensive skin consultations covering diagnosis and management of dermatological conditions, cosmetic and skin cancer.
The RACGP has committed to make its assessment and accreditation processes easier for applicants, while maintaining safety and quality, as part of its response to a report on regulatory settings for overseas practitioners.
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said international medical graduates (IMGs) were an important part of Australia’s general practitioner workforce.
“The RACGP has been advocating to make it easier and more attractive for international medical graduates to come to Australia, to get more GPs into communities that need them,” she said.
“But we also know that, as a medical college which assesses and accredits IMGs to practice in Australia, we can help to make their journey easier.
“We’ve spent time listening to our members with overseas qualifications who’ve gone through our processes to identify what can be improved, and we’ve committed to doing what we can to make it simpler, less onerous, and more streamlined.
“There are many measures we’re considering that will help get more international medical graduates helping Australian communities sooner, including simplifying assessments, and reducing the minimum time for their training.”
However, the RACGP has warned against a recommendation by department of health policymaker Robyn Kruk that comparability assessments – which determine if a specialist IMG is competent and safe to practice 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. We cannot risk this happening again,” Dr Higgins said.
“We largely support 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.”
