AMA Submission to initial Review of regulatory settings relating to registration and qualification recognition for overseas health practitioners – March 2023
The contribution of overseas health professionals to the health care of Australians has long been an important feature of the Australian health system – particularly for rural and remote communities – and will continue to be the case well into the future.
Pressures on Australia’s health workforce existed prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the challenges it created have undoubtedly exacerbated these issues. Similar workforce pressures have been experienced in many other countries and have reinforced the need to ensure that health practitioners who wish to come to Australia to practise their profession can encounter a streamlined passage through the necessary regulatory steps. There are many aspects of the process that can be streamlined or conducted in parallel to expedite the process without undermining standards.
Paramount to any discussion is the need to ensure that overseas trained practitioners are sufficiently equipped to practice, maintain standards and patient safety, manage issues around capacity for testing and assessment arrangements, and to provide sufficient supervision and support.
