The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is urging the Federal Government to ditch plans to add more specialties to its controversial fast-track IMG pathway to fill workforce holes.

This month, federal and state health ministers agreed to expand the program to include general surgery, otolaryngology, dermatology and emergency medicine.

Under the current system, IMG specialists trained in selected countries — the UK, Ireland and New Zealand — can apply directly to AHPRA for specialist registration without scrutiny from Australian medical colleges.

As of 31 January, 501 specialists, including 441 GPs, 35 psychiatrists, 18 anaesthetists and seven obstetricians and gynaecologists have begun working in Australia via the pathway.