The surgeons’ college is calling for a national coronavirus vaccine mandate for all healthcare staff, saying doctors in private practice are in an “ethical bind” as they juggle patient safety and staff choices.

Some states have introduced compulsory COVID-19 vaccinations for all healthcare workers, but others, such as NSW, only cover public and private hospital staff.

The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) wants a blanket rule for all clinical and non-clinical staff to be vaccinated, with RACS NSW chair Associate Professor Payal Mukherjee saying the current situation had created a “void” for doctors in private practice, including surgeons, GPs and radiology clinics.

Doctors were striving to make their practices as safe as possible for patients and staff, but they had no way to force their staff to be vaccinated, she said.