Australian Medical Association

The AMA has identified medical workforce shortage as a major health issue. The Regional/Rural Workforce Initiatives - 2012 Position Statement looks at all the issues affecting workforce shortages in regional and rural Australia and outlines initiatives and measures which would offer solutions to the current workforce shortage.

The AMA has provided a submission to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) in response to their discussion paper Linked Dual-Trained Physician Care in Rural Communities. The AMA supports efforts to improve patient access to to medical care in regional and rural Australia and the RACP model has merit for further development. It needs more detail and refinement to ensure such a model is attractive for potential trainees, effective in delivering care and sustainable in the long term for rural communities.

This submission responds to the HWA draft background paper - Rural and Remote Health Workforce Innovation and Reform Strategy released in July 2011 as part of the consultation process.

The AMA believes it is important that the Government gets it right to ensure that the health workforce in rural and remote areas is sustainable and that people in rural communities can access affordable, appropriate health care services when needed.

State Programs for Doctor Health

The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) has developed changes to the federal legislation which restricts access to Medicare provider numbers and effectively limits where international medical graduates and “former overseas medical students” can work for a minimum period of 10 years – the “10-year moratorium”. AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, has written to Minister for Health and Ageing to request that the proposed amendments be introduced into Federal Parliament.

AMA/RDAA Rural Workforce Rescue Package Fact Sheet

AMA Policy for Better Health Care in Regional, Rural and Remote Australia

Ready resource of rural workforce programs and initiatives

This is a joint statement by the Australian Medical Students Association (AMSA), National Rural Health Network (NRHN), Doctors in Rural and Remote Training Association (DIRRTA), AMA Council of Doctors-in-Training (AMACDT) and the General Practice Registrars' Association (GPRA) opposing the introduction of geographic restrictions on provider numbers.

AMA Position Statement: Rural and Remote Health - 2001