Medical colleges report received by health ministers

The Australian Health Ministers today received the Report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Health Workforce Officials' Committee (AHWOC) which reviewed the medical specialist colleges' key areas of operation. 

These include selecting and training specialist doctors, accrediting hospitals for training and assessing overseas trained specialists seeking employment in Australia.

The Chair of the Australian Health Ministers' Conference (AHMC), The Hon. Dr Peter Toyne, indicated that the Ministers were pleased with the cooperative work between health officials and the ACCC and have approved the report's 20 recommendations.

It is anticipated that implementing these recommendations will ensure that training programs for specialist doctors are based on sound educational evidence and will produce the type of doctors required to provide services that meet the needs of the community.

In addition, the recommendations should ensure each college has in place an efficient and transparent process for the assessment of overseas trained doctors.

The cooperation and positive participation of colleges has been a major factor in producing a report that can be implemented and will result in reforms that provide benefits for the community and for trainees in the system.

"The endorsement today of this report represents the first step in a reform process being undertaken in consultation and collaboratively with colleges and I look forward to the colleges' involvement in the implementation of these recommendations", Dr Toyne said.

Dr Toyne also thanked the ACCC for its role.

ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, noted that the ACCC agreed with Health Ministers in 2004 to undertake this review following the authorisation of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

"The report contains a number of general recommendations for colleges aimed at creating fair and transparent processes and establishing a dialogue between colleges and key stakeholders, such as federal, state and territory departments of health, on issues of mutual interest", he said.

These recommendations reflect the key principles underlying the ACCC's conditional authorisation of the processes of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons – transparency; accountability; stakeholder participation; and procedural fairness.

A copy of the report is on the National Health Workforce website and the ACCC website. See link below.