Addressing the specialist skill shortage in regional, rural and remote Australia

As a renowned plastic surgeon and respected voice in healthcare reform, Dr Mark Lee, Editor-in-Chief of the Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery, regularly writes contributions on pertinent topics to the profession. In the September 2025 issue, he collaborated with fellow specialist plastic surgeon, Professor Mark W Ashton to provide a thoughtful and measured critique of the proposed expedited registration pathway for Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs).

The challenge of attracting specialists to regional, rural and remote areas is significant, given that the professional and personal supports available in major cities are not always present in smaller communities. To address shortages in specialist health care for remote and regional locations, the Australian Government is proposing to fast track registrations. Developed in consultation with the Australian Medical Council (AMC) the Medical Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA), this new process will enable migrant specialists to get into clinical practice sooner.

Whilst welcoming the intent of the proposal, Dr Mark Lee cautions that such a program requires robust oversight, clear supervision mechanisms and genuine strategies to locate specialists where they are most needed, as opposed to just ‘flooding’ the market with specialists who may not be predisposed to regional practice.

Evidencing survey data on the Moratorium (requirement to work in regional, rural or remote Australia for a predetermined amount of time), Dr Mark Lee questions the longer-term implications for specialist medical care, when doctors subsequently choose to relocate to urban areas.

Citing research and lived experience, the authors conclude that the likely solution to the inequality in specialist healthcare provision lies in attracting and retaining doctors who are genuinely committed to working in underserved areas. They believe that this can be achieved through government collaboration with medical colleges, crafting new specialities or subsets of existing specialities that meet both the needs of the doctors and of the communities they serve.

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