An IMG who spent years battling bureaucracy to work as a GP in a small Tasmanian town says Australia is missing out on doctors because of the “long and inefficient” process.  

Dr Joris Asselbergs spent 12 months in Tasmania with his partner waiting on paperwork before giving up, packing their bags and returning to the Netherlands. 

“The main reason we decided to go back was the fact that the approval of my medical registration was taking too long and was still too uncertain,” he said speaking from his home.

“I was unable to work for over a year… I missed the work I had spent ten years training to do.”