News

AMA Moves to a New Phase in Bonded Medical Program (BMP) Advocacy

Published 3 May 2022

The AMA’s twice monthly engagement with the Department of Health (DoH) BMP Executive over the past two years has developed good collaborative relationships and achieved very positive results for BMP participants generally, and our participating Members specifically.  

The AMA has been pleased to see that our insistence for more resources being allocated to the BMP has delivered genuine improvement in the DoH service and responsiveness to participants; but we do recognise many frustrations and challenges remain. 

For 2022, the AMA has agreed to move into a new phase of engagement with the DoH as the substantial backlog of administering individual BMP requests is now fast reducing and a new more flexible program is bedding in (unless participants have decided to remain on legacy schemes).  This new phase includes the AMA agreeing to meet monthly with DoH to progress our more transformative agenda to: 

  1. Review and amend the way RoSO and DWS interact with BMP (because AMA takes the view that DWS had been repurposed for BMP rather than BMP designing its own geographical boundary system). 
  2. Respond to escalating Member concerns about how the BMP regards sub specialities (and some specialities) for RoSO, to the detriment of some participants. 
  3. Improve the BMP web site, inclusive of a new ‘buyout cost’ calculator AND easily navigable transparency for all clinical pathways in respect of RoSO eligibility. 
  4. Effectively operationalise a brand new DoH BrOSS system. 

Also, as part of AMA’s submission to the 2022 national inquiry into the provision of general practitioner and related primary health services to outer metropolitan, rural, and regional Australians, the AMA has called for a review of all rural workforce programs (including the BMP) to determine whether they are meeting their objectives. 

In late 2021, as a result of ongoing AMA advocacy to implement reforms to the BMP, new legislation is in place that streamlines the process for waiving breaches for the Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship.  Also, changes will allow the DoH to opt in participants more quickly and to identify cohorts that can be opted in now so that they can move on with their careers (that is, those whose return of service is complete and can exit the program). 

To reflect on the past two years, the AMA has worked hard and successfully to ensure that BMP cohorts have been guaranteed no-disadvantage because of BMP maladministration from 2020.  The relevant cohorts are: 

  • those who thought they were opted in, had completed their obligations and had exited the BMP; 

  • those who thought they had opted in and still need to complete their RoSO; and 

  • those who had expressed their interest to opt in via email and were waiting on DoH response. 

The AMA will provide further 2022 updates to those AMA members on the BMP, reporting on progress to achieve our agenda. AMA Member feedback is welcome via email: workforce@ama.com.au