Australian Medical Association

The AMA has written to Health Minister Nicola Roxon urging greater support for international medical graduates (IMGs) working in Australia, highlighting the problems they face in accessing basic community services such as Medicare and public education.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said the AMA has always been a strong supporter of the role played by IMGs in providing health services in the Australian community and wants them to continue as respected and valued members of the Australian medical workforce.

“Along with better access to health and education services for IMGs, we would like the Government to abandon the current 10-year moratorium, which effectively forces many IMGs to work exclusively in rural and remote areas for 10 years or more,” Dr Pesce said.

Some glaring anomalies fixed, but more to do – AMA

The Health Insurance Amendment (New Zealand Overseas Trained Doctors) Bill 2009 was introduced to Parliament this morning.  The Bill will amend the Health Insurance Act 1973.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the new Bill would fix some of the glaring anomalies in a scheme that is being increasingly questioned by the medical profession and the community.

Dr Pesce said the AMA had written to Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, last month in support of proposed changes to the Health Insurance Act, especially around the so-called ’10-year moratorium’, whereby International Medical Graduates (IMGs) must work in a district of workforce shortage for a minimum period of 10 years.

The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) has developed changes to the federal legislation which restricts access to Medicare provider numbers and effectively limits where international medical graduates and “former overseas medical students” can work for a minimum period of 10 years – the “10-year moratorium”. AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, has written to Minister for Health and Ageing to request that the proposed amendments be introduced into Federal Parliament.

AMA Position Statement: Overseas Trained Doctors - 2004

This paper reviews the experiences of a number of western industrialised countries in the regulation of the hours of work for doctors in training as well as documenting the provisions that apply. While the Australian health system can benefit from this information, the applicability to Australia of the approaches taken and the provisions introduced in relation to doctors hours of work must be assessed having regard to the very different health systems in which they operate.