The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has welcomed the new independent review of the Federal Government’s health workforce, saying it looks forward to playing a major role in the consultation.

 

AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said that the Commonwealth had developed a multitude of medical workforce programs over many years, and there is now a real need to ensure these programs are still relevant and are properly funded.

 

“The Commonwealth has invested significant extra funds in medical school places, but we are now seeing potential training bottlenecks emerge,” Dr Hambleton said.

 

 “Some graduates will struggle to access the prevocational and specialist training positions they need to progress to full specialist qualification.

 

 “The Government and Health Workforce Australia have identified these bottlenecks and recognise the need for better planning to maintain continuity in medical training, which will require greater cooperation between all our governments."