Limited registration for senior doctors
In October 2021, AMA Queensland and the Australian Senior Active Doctors Association (ASADA) wrote to the state government proposing a Limited Registration Category for senior doctors in Queensland. The category would enable doctors who are retiring or stepping down from regular practice to engage in voluntary, occasional practice in the public interest and provide pro bono services that benefit the heath of Queenslanders.
While temporary registration provisions were allowed for retired doctors to support the COVID-19 response, a more proactive approach to current and future public health challenges is the establishment of an enduring volunteer medical reserve which is well-trained and capable of immediate deployment, as is the case in France, the UK and many regions of the USA.
An ongoing reserve of volunteer doctors would be of major benefit to Queensland communities facing challenges related to pandemics, natural disasters, emergencies and vulnerabilities associated with location (e.g. rural and remote) and demography (e.g. first nations, elderly and homeless people).
The proposed registration category would enable two categories of doctors to volunteer their services to improve and contribute to the health of Queenslanders as a reserve medical workforce providing surge capacity where and when required. Those categories are:
- doctors currently registered but are transitioning towards retirement
- doctors currently on the pandemic sub-registers.
By enabling doctors who are transitioning to retirement to step down their registration, the reserve would capture senior doctors with recency of practice and a high level of expertise and knowledge of the Queensland health system.
Read our full proposal.