Foreign doctors to Australia will now face tougher immigration laws

The Government of Australia has decided to eliminate several professions of the health care sector from the official list of skilled workers that gives immigration approval for overseas immigrants. It has identified 15 professions from the health care sector that includes medical specialists too. The reason is that it has identified sufficient workers in Australia for these professions. Meanwhile, specialists from the health sector have cautioned the government that the rural locations are yet to have the required skilled workers. Native Australian doctors and even the health care professionals from overseas have more inclination of urban areas and hesitate to be employed in the rural areas. The Australia forum has quoted Australian Medical Association as saying that the health sector is relatively less dependent on the overseas immigrants. The government’s decision to remove the professions from the health care industry did not imply that they could not seek jobs in Australia. They can do so through other modes of visa approvals. John Zorbas, chairman of the AMA council of doctors in training has said that global medical graduates have made a significant contribution to the health care sector in Australia. The scenario is now undergoing change and it is more difficult for the overseas medical graduates to find jobs in Australia. The organizations in the health care industry consider that international medical professionals must be encouraged to contribute to the betterment of healthcare services in Australia. The report of Future Health Workforce Doctors in Australia has indicated that though there will be an excess number of healthcare professionals by the year 2030 the rural areas will be deprived of specific medical facilities and adequate healthcare professionals. Thus overseas healthcare professionals may find it easier to find jobs in rural areas of Australia than in urban locations such as Melbourne or Sydney. This is substantiated by the statement of David Gillespie the Assistant Minister for Rural Health in Australia that it was one of his greatest challenges to cater to the requirement of healthcare professionals in the rural areas.