The Australian Medical Association has backed a move by the WA Health Department to stop employing overseas-trained doctors in Perth hospitals.
Acting director-general of Health Bryant Stokes told a parliamentary committee hearing on Wednesday that a rapid increase in local graduates meant hospitals no longer needed to rely on overseas-trained doctors.
He said he had instructed his department to stop employing any more overseas-trained doctors working in Perth hospitals.
AMA state president Michael Gannon welcomed the news.
“We now have reached something of a self-sufficiency in staffing our own hospitals,” Dr Gannon said.
“Let’s not forget that doctors trained here locally are culturally competent.
“They’ve either lived their whole life in Western Australia or at the very least if they’ve moved here in recent years they’ve come to an understanding of the unique needs of our population.
“They’re trained in Aboriginal health, they’re trained in understanding the unique mix of public and private medicine we have in Australia.”
WA employs more international doctors than any other state, with almost 40 per cent of its medical practitioners trained overseas.
Mr Gannon said overseas-trained doctors might still be employed in regional areas.
“At the moment our system does still rely on overseas trained doctors, and it is a fact that there are some areas of medicine and there are some parts of the state that are more difficult to staff,” he said.
“That will always be the case to one extent or another, I fear.
“It’s important that if doctors do come from overseas, that they’re afforded great support.”