Health department denies IMG fast track for surgeons has been ruled out
The surgeons' college claimed they had secured an exemption.
The Federal Government has rejected claims that an expedited pathway for IMG surgeons has been ruled out, a month after the surgeons’ college said this was the case.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has accused the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) of publishing inaccurate information, saying that health ministers could still create such a pathway for surgeons.
IMG GPs, psychiatrists, anaesthetists and obstetricians from Ireland, New Zealand and the UK can apply for registration under expedited pathways introduced last year.Â
This means they can work in Australia without being assessed by the relevant specialist college, amid concerns their processes are too slow, bureaucratic and expensive.
