Rural Generalists the unintended victim of moves to protect Surgeon title

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) President Dr Dan Halliday today gave evidence to the Health and Environment Committee Inquiry Public Hearing on Surgeon Titling.

The Committee Hearing is the final stage of public consultation into the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Surgeons) Amendment Bill 2023 and follows a period of protracted consultation around establishing protected title of the designation “surgeon” under the National Law. 

The draft Bill restricts the use of the title surgeon to members of a “surgical class”, defined as medical practitioners holding specialist registration in the recognised specialties of surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology and ophthalmology. 

Dr Halliday says Rural Generalists (RGs) are the unintended victims of the proposed legislative changes.  

“At each stage of this consultation  process, and through our College submission, ACRRM has categorically said we do not support moves to legislate to protect the title ‘surgeon’,” Dr Halliday says. 

“If this Bill is enacted, RGs who have completed advanced skills training in surgery and/or obstetrics in accordance with the nationally accredited ACRRM Fellowship curriculum will not be permitted to call themselves surgeons. 

“RGs are specialist general practitioners who are trained to provide context-appropriate skilled services in rural and remote areas extending across primary, secondary, and emergency care to help meet the service needs of their community. 

“They provide much needed surgical, obstetric and gynaecological and other non-procedural advanced skills services to Australia’s rural, remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, who often suffer from a dearth of face-to-face specialist services. 

“The Committee heard concerns from witnesses regarding the use of the surgeon title by non- specialists, however RG is already recognised as a medical discipline of specialist equivalence and has been for over 15 years in Queensland. 

“The Commonwealth and jurisdictional governments have invested substantially in the National Rural Generalist Pathway to support training of RGs to deliver services to rural people, including surgical services. The proposed amendments undermine the national validity of these programs, as well as their utility - as it discourages doctors, patients, communities, and health systems from recognising these doctors’ qualified services.” 

Dr Halliday says the draft legislation should be amended to permit ACRRM Fellows who have completed ACRRM Advanced Specialised Training in surgery and/or obstetrics and gynaecology to use the title surgeon.

ENDS