Australia is ranked as one of the leading providers of healthcare services in the world based on infrastructure, innovation, availability of preventive care and government support. Known as the healthiest nation in the southern hemisphere, the country maintains high standards of accessible and affordable healthcare services as guaranteed by the local government. Advanced educational facilities and research institutions are also available to medical practitioners who aim to undergo professional development.
Through our consultants, we can assist interested clients in the medical field by determining the qualifications, understanding which condition each client is eligible for and identifying the client’s assessment pathway to registration. Our registered advisors can help medical professionals with all the documents required by the Australian government before being able to legally practice in a specific field of expertise or area within the country.
There are restrictions as to where overseas-trained doctors can practise in Australia. To ensure that overseas-trained doctors work in geographic regions with workforce or general practitioner shortages, the Australian government has policies in place that apply to International Medical Graduates (IMGs), Overseas-Trained Doctors (OTDs) and Foreign Graduates from an Accredited Medical School (FGAMs).
General practitioners trained overseas need a Medicare provider number to be able to practise in Australia. Section 19AB of the Health Insurance Act 1973, also known as the 10-year moratorium, states that overseas-trained doctors and foreign graduates from an accredited medical school will only be issued with a Medicare provider number if they work in areas deemed by the government to be a district of workforce shortage. This means working in a remote area or a rural place outside Australia’s main cities. General practitioners under the moratorium do vocational training via the rural pathway. The moratorium shall commence when the doctor becomes a registered medical practitioner in Australia.