Australian patients are benefiting from a surge of overseas doctors plugging healthcare gaps after an end to in-person identity checks.
Regulators had previously required the checks, forcing international doctors to arrive in Australia and wait on paperwork for months, frustrating them and hospitals in dire need of their expertise.
The removal of that impost in December is already delivering results, with new data showing registrations of overseas qualified doctors surging 25 per cent in the first six months of 2024.
Wait times decreased by the same amount.
Launceston specialist GP Sana Mahmud, who emigrated from Pakistan to Australia in 2012, said international doctors provided incredible value to the healthcare system.
Four in five junior doctors in Tasmania's healthcare system were from overseas, she said.
"We know there are gaps in the Australian healthcare system," Dr Mahmud told AAP.
"We are short-staffed, and the wait time from being seen by a general practitioner and then to be referred to (and seen in) the hospital can vary from weeks to months to up to a year."
Now an award-winning doctor, Dr Mahmud recalls arriving in Australia excited for her new job only to be stuck waiting at least two months for her application to be processed.
"The hospital was very supportive at that time, and I tried to submit all the paperwork," Dr Mahmud said.
"But because I was already residing in Australia, it was a bit hard for me to get some of the documents from back home certified."
Andrea Edwards, a practice adviser for an East Kimberley health service, said the change meant a recent recruit from Malaysia did not have to make an extra trip to Perth to submit for an identity check.
"The process was so much easier than in the past," she said.
Some 5717 overseas doctors were newly registered in the year to June, the bulk coming since January.
That's up from 4512 the previous year.
Average processing times in recent months have fallen to 76 days, down from 113 in late 2022.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency said it was doing everything possible to make Australia an attractive work destination without compromising on safety.
Overseas applicants seeking registration have to provide sufficient documents to verify identity while offshore.
Checks include proof of qualifications, international criminal history checks, English language skills and Australian employer documentation.
Once working in Australia, they need to provide further evidence to renew their registration.
The changes were in response to a review led by retired senior public servant Robyn Kruk, addressing growing pressures on the health system.
Further changes are planned.
The Medical Board of Australia in April announced plans to fast-track registrations of specific overseas specialist qualifications.
