Australia's Healthcare Workforce: Addressing Doctor Shortages and Solutions

Australia urgently needs to expedite pathways for overseas doctors to address critical healthcare workforce shortages.

### Addressing Australia's Healthcare Workforce Shortage: The Need for Expedited Pathways
* 🏥 Australia faces a significant shortage of healthcare workers, with a projected need for an **additional 80,000 workers by 2030**, including **37,000 in Queensland alone** over the next decade.
* 📅 The Australian National Cabinet endorsed a final report on regulatory standards for overseas doctors on December 6, 2023, following an interim report published in **April 2023**.
* 👩 By November 2026, it is estimated that there will be a demand for **13,000 medical practitioners**, **40,000 nurses**, and **27,000 allied healthcare professionals** in regional and rural areas, with **44% of health professional vacancies remaining unfilled** as of June 2023.
* 🩺 The current process for international medical graduates (IMGs) to work in Australia is **lengthy**, requiring multiple applications and assessments, which can take **up to a year**, leading to difficulties in recruitment for rural practices.
* 🚀 The proposed expedited specialist pathway aims to **streamline this process**, set to roll out for GPs in **October 2024** and for other specialties by **December 2024**, pending approval from the Health Minister.
* 🔍 This pathway will primarily benefit specialists with qualifications deemed **substantially equivalent to Australian standards**, particularly those from the UK, New Zealand, Canada, and the US, while still requiring **oversight from medical colleges**.
* 📊 Despite the expedited pathway, challenges remain, including a **lack of centralized job databases** and the need for **clear job availability in regional areas**, which could hinder the effectiveness of this initiative.
* 🌏 Migration plays a crucial role in addressing workforce shortages, and the Robin C report emphasizes the **urgency for Australia to attract more internationally qualified practitioners** to ensure **timely healthcare for all**.

First, there's epic, then there's AMC, then there's colleges with their applications and interviews. And then there's the board, which takes almost a year for more doctors to come from overseas and start to work here in Australia. Areas who are struggling to find doctors in...

thousands. The process is just too slow. In the health sector alone, there is a need for an additional 80,000 workers by 2030. The state of Queensland alone projects that it will need 37,000 additional healthcare staff over the next decade on...

6th of December 2023, Australian National Cabinet endorsed the final report about regulatory standards relating to overseas doctors. This report was published in two phases: first in April 2023 as an interim report, and then in December 2023 as a final report.

Published by an independent reviewer, Ms. Robin Kirk. Now, as for the report, it is predicted by November 2026, there's a need for 13,000 medical practitioners, that is doctors, 40,000 nurses, and 27,000 allied healthcare professionals in regional and rural Australia, and...

what's even more concerning is that 44% of the health professional vacancies remained unfilled in the June quarter of 2023. Ask any rural GP practice owner, they will always have trouble recruiting GPs to their practice. And hence, they have to shut down and sell the rural...

hospitals and medical centers also face similar trouble recruiting doctors, and hence they have to heavily rely on very expensive locums. What one may ask? There are countless IMGs who want to come and work in Australia, and also, you know, there are IMGs here in Australia who are...

struggling to find any jobs, so why this disparity? Right, firstly, let me straighten out one concept: these rural towns and regions need fully qualified GPs and specialist doctors who can meet Australian regulatory standards of registration. Why qualified? Because they need to work independently with little

or no supervision. Also, you may not know, but any overseas doctor who accepts a job in a rural and regional area is because of a compromise, so they all start from the regional and rural areas, and the majority tend to gravitate to major towns and cities within a few years, and

these areas are the backbone of the Australian economy, providing agricultural mining industries. So surely these people and patients cannot move out there. What about the overseas qualified GPs and specialists who want to come and work here in Australia? Yes, that's what the K report highlights as another

problem, which is red tape, that is duplication of regulation standards. First, there's EPIC, and then there's AMC, and then there's colleges with their application and interviews, and then there's the board, which takes almost a year for more doctors to come from overseas and start to work here in Australia. So

the solution presented by the report is an expedited specialist pathway, which is predicted to roll out for GPs in October 2024 and for OBGYN, anesthesia, and psychiatry by December 2024. And then perhaps later, other specialties will come and sink in as well. This is, of

course, after the Health Minister approves the new revised standards of regulation. So in this video, I will share my forecast how this pathway will look like and provide also a critical analysis of what this means for most specialists and especially international medical graduates who are currently

working as GPs and specialists back in their own country and want to move to Australia so let's dive in and divide I'll divide this conversation to why is this pathway needed the current problems for IMGs what specialties will be expedited who will be eligible for this expedited

pathway what will happen to the role of specialist medical colleges for specialist assessment what is the process going to look like should you wait if you're thinking of the specialist pathway what about the job search and then I will summarize and conclude all about the expedited pathway at the

end why this pathway is needed well part I've already explained but it's all about safe patient doctor ratios in major cities there are about 120.5 full-time equivalent GPs per 100,000 people however in very remote areas the number plummets to just 65.8

so nearly half the situation is even more dire when it comes to medical specialists there are about 143.5 specialists per 100,000 population in cities compared to only 25 in remote and regional areas of Australia in the health sector alone there is a need for

additional 80,000 workers by 2030 to meet the rising demand the state of Queensland alone projects that it will need 37,000 additional healthcare staff over the next decade so what's the current problem if the IMG specialist currently wants to come and work in

Australia he has to apply for EPIC and then AMC and then the specialist colleges like Australian College of Emergency Medicine Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Australian College of Physicians Surgeons you know obstetricians and so forth the assessment from the colleges

takes about 3 to 4 months after the submission of the application and the colleges nitpick on the application and then the interview and then the job search process starts which may take another four to six months and after the job search and job offer the registration by

Opa takes another 2 to three months so the entire process takes close to about a year and the costs are huge for both IMGs and also for the Australian government Now I'm not opposed to a proper checks In fact when we tried to do the application form and interview

assistance we try to meet the standard requirements in a first goal but for areas who are struggling to find doctors in thousands the process is just too slow What specialties will be expected the shortage is particularly severe in specialties like general practice

Psychiatry anesthesia Radiology Pediatrics emergency medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology so who will be eligible for this expedited pathway On the Opa website it says that the new pathway will be available to specialist International Medical graduates with specialist qualifications that the medical board has

assessed as substantially equivalent or based on similar competencies and similar to that of an Australian trained specialist the board will publish a list of qualifications that are substantially comparable so right off the bat these will be specialists who are post CCT from the UK who have

completed their training in specialist exams Also specialists from New Zealand Canada and also from the US so perhaps candidates from India and Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries who have completed 5 years of specialist training and then another four to five years of consultant level experience after

passing the specialist level exam are currently working in a very senior capacity might be also able to qualify that's why what my idea or understanding of substantial compatibility standards actually mean what will happen to the medical colleges I think specialist medical colleges will still have a very

important role to play as you know majority of the Specialists and GPs from India Pakistan and Arab countries are found partially comparable which then requires a top-up training and competencies and skills requirements the colleges will continue to provide assessment with regular application and

interview so so-called Junior IMG consultant what about the process what would the process look like uh from December 2024 so let's say your specialist qualification is published on the OPA website as substantially comparable for being a GP or a gynecologist or

psychiatrist initially you will apply directly to the board through a specialist application form if you are comparable you will be given a provisional specialist registration directly and you will then undergo a 6 months of supervised medical practice you will also complete necessary orientations and

cultural safety training as per the ARA website and once you've completed all the above you'll be given unconditional specialist registration allowing you to work independently however as by my experience despite all these steps the assessment is going to be very strict Australia is one of the most regulated

countries in the world and this process must not be confused as easy but please try to understand that as stringent and expedited I think overall by cutting out the college from this pathway you may reduce the time by about half but the process and the expectation will pretty

much stay the same, should you wait for the specialist assessment, that's a big question. So, at least at this point, the expedited pathway is not clear on anything. If you are working as a consultant in the UK, New Zealand, Canada, or the US after training and you've completed your

exam, and then you are also working as a consultant for four to five years, then perhaps yes. For specialists and GPs from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Arab countries, if you have five years plus experience training and at least four to five years of senior consultant

level experience in a good tertiary setup in specialties of GP, psychiatry, and O&G, with no career gaps, then perhaps yes, you should also wait. But if you're not likely to be substantially comparable as a specialist, which the majority of the doctors of the subcontinent are, just because our

curriculum of FCPS and MD training are just not enough, then it appears that not much is going to change for you. What about the jobs after the assessment? Now, based on the Robin K report, the deficiencies of GP and O&G doctors are in regional and remote Australia, even currently.

These deficiencies exist, but there's a very little clarification of where these jobs actually are. There is not a centralized database, and every state tends to publish their own area of need. We have an input in the form of IMGs who are keen and want to come through, but by

having an expedited pathway of assessing their application and doing the interview by the board, that's very good. But the output of getting these doctors to get to work, that is a job, and if that's not done right, then what's the point of expedited assessment anyway? So,

My suggestion is the job finding process must also be simplified with a centralized database of jobs, one simple online application and interview process. Jobs must be easy to find; no one must search Seek, Indeed, individual health websites, areas of need lists – that's just too much. You have to understand these

overseas specialists and GPs are busy doctors and they don't have time to do all of these searches and applications. So, in conclusion, it's important to understand that this pathway will not be for every specialty. For example, there may not be a need for dermatologists,

cardiac surgeons or orthopedic surgeons. Also, I think the Opa process of expedited pathway is still going to be stringent. The compressed timeline might lead to operational difficulties and effectively rolling out this pathway. There's also a consideration of how restrictions like visa

and permanent residency and moratoriums are going to pan out. And as I said, if there are no jobs at the end of this expedited process line, then we're just moving the bottleneck from the assessment process to the job process, and the real patients

in the regions and rural areas are never going to benefit. There's also some opposition from, you know, RSGP, who have expressed concern about the lack of consultation with specialist colleges, not just them, but all of the colleges. Now, there's another person called

Professor Brendan Murphy, who's a health analyst, being a previous chief medical officer and the Secretary of the Department of Health. He says that relying on migrant doctors isn't a long-term solution to workforce shortages, which to be honest, I don't entirely agree with.

This is almost all developed countries need migration to grow and sustain themselves. You need more people to come to your country for work and generate more tax to support the economy. And then you need more people to look after them like service industries of doctors, nurses, teachers, builders, and all, yes there

needs to be a balance that demands don't exceed the supply. But migration is a big portion of growth and development for countries like Australia, Canada, and the US, and will continue to be over decades to come. The Robin C report makes it clear Australia needs to act now. The shortages

in our healthcare system are not just numbers, they represent real people who are waiting too long for the care that they desperately need. By implementing expedited pathways and reducing regulatory barriers, Australia can attract more internationally qualified practitioners to fill these critical

gaps in the regional and rural Australia and at the same time, this will also make Australia a more attractive destination for highly skilled, not only medical professionals, but other professionals as well. Look after yourself and each other and I'll catch you in the next video.

Overseas GPs and Specialists | NEW Expedited Pathway for Australia

Emergency Focus

Australia's Critical Healthcare Worker Shortage

Significant delays in overseas doctor registration processes hinder efforts to address widespread shortages.

Projected need for 80,000 additional healthcare workers by 2030, with Queensland alone needing 37,000.

Projected need for 13,000 doctors, 40,000 nurses, and 27,000 allied health professionals in regional and rural areas by November 2026.

44% of health professional vacancies remained unfilled in the June 2023 quarter, leading to hospital closures and reliance on expensive locums.

Rural areas require fully qualified GPs and specialists due to the need for independent practice.

The report proposes an expedited pathway to address the shortage, aiming to reduce the registration process time.

The pathway is predicted to roll out for GPs in October 2024 and for OBGYN, anesthesia, and psychiatry by December 2024.

Significant disparities in doctor-to-patient ratios exist between major cities and remote areas.

Current process for IMGs involves multiple applications (EPIC, AMC, specialist colleges), taking approximately one year.

Eligibility and Process of the Expedited Pathway

The shortage is particularly severe in specialties like general practice, psychiatry, and obstetrics & gynecology.

The pathway will be available to specialist IMGs with qualifications assessed as substantially equivalent to Australian-trained specialists.

The process involves direct application to the board, provisional registration, six months of supervised practice, and cultural safety training.

The suitability of waiting for the pathway depends on the applicant's qualifications and experience, with those from the UK, US, Canada, and New Zealand having a higher likelihood of eligibility.

Challenges and Concerns Regarding the Pathway

A lack of centralized job databases hinders the job search process for incoming specialists.

The pathway may not address the needs for all specialties, and operational difficulties may arise from the compressed timeline.

Concerns exist regarding the lack of consultation with specialist colleges and the long-term reliance on migrant doctors to solve workforce shortages.

The report emphasizes the urgent need for action to address healthcare shortages and attract internationally qualified practitioners.