AMA call to cut doctors from skilled migration program

The AMA has told a Federal Government review of the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) that Australia has more than enough doctors to meet its long-term needs and should remove all medical occupations from the SOL. The SOL is used to underpin independent applications for permanent residency. However a surge in the supply of medical graduates in the past decade means the country is quickly shifting away from its reliance on international medical graduates (IMGs) to plug gaps in the workforce.

“IMGs have played a critical role in helping fill gaps in the medical workforce caused by a past under-investment in medical schools” said Dr John Zorbas, Chair, AMACDT. “But with so many future doctors in the training pipeline, policymakers need to put more effort into providing enough vocational training places and in encouraging locally trained doctors to work in the specialties and locations where they are needed.”