Almost 5000 doctors will be automatically re-registered with AHPRA on Monday so they can help strengthen the health system against COVID-19, without the paperwork.

Doctors who dropped off AHPRA’s register of practitioners in the past three years will be added to a new “pandemic sub-register”, unless they were under investigation or there were medical board conditions when their registration lapsed.

There will be no fees, forms, CPD requirements or return-to-practice rules for these doctors, except they must work within their old scope of practice and get indemnity insurance.

However, only doctors who had general or specialist registration at the time they left practice will be automatically included, while those who are more than three years out of practice will need to apply through the usual process.