Shortage of Doctors in Australia

January 2008POEA MARKET UPDATE NO. 02-08SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS IN AUSTRALIAThe Philippine Embassy in Canberra has reported on the shortage of doctors in Australia which has reached crisis point. According to the report, the Federal Department of Health and Ageing has declared "districts of workforce shortage," of over 74 per cent of Australia or 59 per cent of the population. This translates to three quarters of the country's land area and more than 12 million of its people now deemed as lacking adequate access to primary care. The worsening shortage of doctors is likely to deepen given the fact that the states often declare an area of need based on their inability to fill a public sector vacancy, over a much larger area than the Commonwealth. The shortage of doctors becomes evident to Australians as government authorities rely more heavily on overseas trained doctors. The federal declarations allow the Department to exempt temporary resident overseas trained doctors from rules that would otherwise prevent them from practicing their profession. The number of exemptions given each year has...