Over Half of Australia’s Doctors Are Trained Overseas, AMA Says They’re a ‘Temporary Fix’
Some doctors even struggle to find housing in regional areas.
TL;DR
- Bureaucratic duplication and a 10-year rural service requirement are deterring skilled overseas-trained doctors from Australia.
- International Medical Graduates (IMGs) constitute approximately 56% of Australian GPs and 53% of the rural medical workforce.
- Many regional, rural, and remote communities would have limited or no healthcare access without IMGs.
- IMG recruitment has grown over 13% since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 42,056 IMGs were registered as medical practitioners in 2021/22.