PracticeBound: From Canberra Hospital to Eden
- October 8, 2024
Originally from Pakistan, Dr Beenish Zehra’s journey to GP practice has taken her around the world, finishing in the aptly named seaside town of Eden on the South Coast of NSW.
International GP Recruitment Reforms Coming Soon!
In our latest blog we provide a summary of the key details and proposed reforms outlined in the ‘Independent review of health practitioner regulatory settings’ (The Kruk Report) and how these changes can benefit your GP recruitment strategy, or search for work as a General Practitioner in Australia.
What is the review and why was it commissioned?
On 30 September 2022, National Cabinet announced an independently led review of Australia’s regulatory settings for health practitioners.
The 65-page review covers health practitioner registration, skill and qualification recognition for overseas trained health professionals and international students who have studied in Australia.
The goals of the review were to test the current regulatory settings for international medical graduates (IMGs) seeking medical registration in Australia to ensure it is fit for purpose, comparable with similar countries and not imposing unnecessary barriers or compliance costs on migrants or employers.
What were the findings and recommend reform proposals of the Kruk Report?
For ease of reference, the below information is listed in the same order as the full report.
Foreword
International Benchmarking
The Medical Board of Australia recognises 6 competent authorities in 5 countries. By comparison, New Zealand recognises 23 competent authorities, the UK 30+ and Canada 8.
Medical Registration costs in Australia can be as high as $12,500. This compares unfavourably to New Zealand ($8,500), Canada ($6,000) and the UK ($9,000).
Migration costs are also considerably higher. Australia = $8,000; NZ = $1,000; Canada = $2,500; UK = $1,000.
Our international peers have made their own regulatory processes simpler and cheaper, without lowering standards.
Criminal History: NZ does not require a check unless there is a matter to disclose
Recency of Practice: UK & Canada impose low or no recency requirements
ID Verification: UK is moving to an online app for IMGs to verify identity offshore
Supervision: In Canada, almost all supervision is virtual
Registration: Canada, NZ & the UK grant full registration rather than provisional
Visas: Canada, NZ and the UK offer low-cost visas to health practitioners
Proposed Reforms
These reforms will reduce duplication and inefficiency and enable overseas trained GPs from countries with similar regulatory settings to complete the journey in less than 3 months
Recommendations
Remove duplication by sharing information across all regulators & agencies using a single portal (early 2024)
These changes will reduce time and costs and make the process easier to navigate.
Future Vision
Reduce typical applicant journey to less than 3 months
Key Reform Priorities
Expanding number of competent authorities to specialist IMGs and removing requirements for further assessments (by mid-2024)
In Conclusion
The Kruk report proposes several exciting reforms that can help Australia remain competitive in the international market for highly skilled medical practitioners.
Once implemented, these reforms will:
To discuss anything included in this blog, the specific recruitment strategy of your medical centre, or your personal plans to relocate to work as an International Medical Graduate in Australia, please contact the relevant local DXC Medical office today.
Useful Links
https://www.health.gov.au/independent-review-of-health-practitioner-regulatory-settings
To request a full copy of the report, please email darren.compton@dxcmedical.com.au
Originally from Pakistan, Dr Beenish Zehra’s journey to GP practice has taken her around the world, finishing in the aptly named seaside town of Eden on the South Coast of NSW.
Dr Rabeea Saeed and her family have recently relocated from the bustling major city of Abu Dhabi to the scenic coastal town of Coffs Harbour in NSW, following Dr Rabeea’s passion for family medicine and interest in working and studying internationally.