The RACGP says it is increasingly concerned about the lack of information on the Medical Board of Australia’s plan to fast-track IMGs into the country from next month.

Pushed by federal and state health ministers wanting to fill GP vacancies in regional areas, the new “expedited pathway” effectively sidelines the RACGP and ACRRM from assessing the skills and suitability of eligible IMGs.

The idea is that only IMGs with specialist qualifications judged equivalent to either of the colleges’ fellowships will go through this expedited pathway for specialist registration.

But with the board saying the GP pathway will open next month, the RACGP is sounding the alarm, saying it has raised serious concerns both with health ministers and the board itself.