The registration and accreditation of international medical graduates in Australia: a broken system or a work in progress?

Australia’s policy for registering and accrediting overseas trained doctors (OTDs) is dysfunctional. Some OTDs, who are well qualified and here on permanent visas, are being denied registration and accreditation. This is despite the acute shortage of medical manpower and the fact that OTDs on temporary visas, with similar qualifications, are being actively recruited and put to work. Current reforms may improve the situation but these must address problems of accountability and the potential for conflicts of interest that mar the present system. Copyright. Monash University and the author/s