Australia’s health ministers have approved the registration standard that fast-tracks the process bringing overseas specialists into Australia.
That paves the way for a range of specialist international medical graduate (SIMG) reforms, with ophthalmology expected to become involved next year.
The release supporting the change said the new Expedited Specialist pathway would “allow well-credentialled international medical specialists from similar health systems to see Australian patients sooner.
“It is designed to remove unnecessary regulatory barriers and increase the number of SIMGs seeing patients in Australia, while maintaining high standards.”
Developing the pathway was among the reform recommendations made by the independent Kruk Review into health practitioner regulatory settings.
Organisations representing ophthalmologists joined other specialist groups in opposing the changes, in particular the accreditation process which bypasses assessment of candidates by medical colleges.
The gateway to the Expedited Specialist pathway is a list of pre-approved qualifications.
Medical specialists with a qualification on the Board’s Expedited specialist pathway: accepted qualifications list can apply directly to the Medical Board/Ahpra for specialist registration, rather than be assessed individually by a specialist college.
Specialist GPs with one of the following accepted qualifications have been eligible to apply through the new pathway from 21 October:
- Membership of the Irish College of General Practitioners (MICGP) from 2009 and a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCST)
- Fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (FRNZCGP) from 2012
- Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (United Kingdom) from 2007 and a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).
Specific specialist qualifications in anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry will be added to the accepted list in December 2024, after a rigorous qualifications assessment process.
Ophthalmology is expected to follow next year.
Jurisdictions are choosing the next specialties for the Expedited Specialist pathway, based on workforce priorities.
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