The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has committed to simplifying their processes for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) in line with the findings from the Mildura Regional Health Workforce Summit in March hosted by Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Dr Anne Webster.

However, the Albanese Labor Government needs to do more to ensure that Regional Australia would benefit from the changes.

“With a stroke of the pen when his party formed Government Health Minister Mark Butler expanded the Distribution Priority Areas, which meant IMGs could choose to work in peri-urban centres with the same incentives as the regions,” Dr Webster said.

“I welcome the RACGP’s commitment to streamline the process for IMG’s to come to Australia, however, what will be the incentive to direct IMG’s to regional communities who remain in a dire situation thanks to Labor’s city centric policies?”

The urgent need for the reversal of the DPA expansion was a key finding of the Summit.

RACGP President Nicole Higgins and CEO Paul Wappett were among the delegates at the Mildura event, and have undertaken their own assessment and determined that the accreditation process will be made simpler for applicants on the back of an independent review of overseas health practitioner regulatory settings.

“I am very pleased to see these decisions made by the RACGP, following on from robust discussions on the matter at the March Summit,” Dr Webster said.

“The complications and delays caused by the current clunky international recruitment process was repeatedly raised at the summit and are welcome policy to mitigate the country’s dire GP shortage.”

Other findings from the Summit included incentive frameworks for medical, allied health and nursing students to study and practice in the regions, the need for rural generalists across all professions to be supported to work to their full scope of practice, a wider distribution of the single employer model for GP’s, and the need for block funding reform for multidisciplinary practice reform, where fee for service primary care is unsustainable.

“Out of the Summit findings I have been developing a Regional Healthcare Policy, which will now be costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office,” Dr Webster said.

“This policy will ensure regional healthcare needs are met and give a clear direction to solve the crisis that faces both those working in the health sector and those trying to access healthcare.”

Categories: In The News, MediaBy Anne Webster