National Reporting Instrument 2015

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Section: Background

Hide [S01] Monitoring progress on the implementation of Code – Second round reporting (2015-2016)

On May 21, 2010 the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel (the “Code”) was adopted by the 193 Member States of the World Health Organization. The Code encourages information exchange on issues related to health personnel and health systems in the context of migration, and suggests regular reporting every three years on measures taken to implement the Code. The reporting process is an integral component of the effective implementation of the voluntary principles and practices recommended by the Code.


A self-assessment tool for countries second-round reporting


To monitor the progress made in implementing the Code, and in accordance with the request of the World Health Assembly (Resolution WHA63.16), a national self-assessment tool was created for Member States. 

You have been nominated as Designated National Authority (DNA) to respond to the updated national reporting instrument (NRI) via this web-based data interface.



Disclaimer: The  data  and information collected through the  National Reporting Instrument will be made publicly available  via the WHO web-site  following the proceedings of the World Health Assembly, May 2016. 


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Contact details

Hide [G1Q00001] Name of Member State
Australia
Hide [G1Q00002] Contact information of DNA
Full name of institution
Department of Health
Name of contact officer
Tarja Saastamoinen
Title of contact officer
Assistant Secretary
Mailing address
MDP 153, GPO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601
Telephone number
+61262893132
Fax number
n/a
Email address
tarja.saastamoinen@health.gov.au
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Section 01: Qualitative information (1-4)

Hide [S11] 1)      In your country, do equally qualified and experienced migrant health personnel enjoy the same legal rights and responsibilities as the domestically trained health workforce in terms of employment and conditions of work?
Yes
Hide [S12] 2)   Which legal safeguards and/or other mechanisms are in place to ensure that migrant health personnel enjoy the same legal rights and responsibilities as the domestically trained health workforce? Please tick all options that apply from the list below:
2.a) Migrant health personnel are recruited internationally using mechanisms that allow them to assess the benefits and risk associated with employment positions and to make timely and informed decisions regarding them
2.b) Migrant health personnel are hired, promoted and remunerated based on objective criteria such as levels of qualification, years of experience and degrees of professional responsibility on the same basis as the domestically trained health workforce
2.c) Migrant health personnel enjoy the same opportunities as the domestically trained health workforce to strengthen their professional education, qualifications and career progression
2.d) Other mechanism, please provide details if possible:
All people working in Australia, including foreign workers, are entitled to basic rights and protections in the workplace under the Fair Work Act 2009. This includes workers employed on temporary or permanent visas.
Other
Hide [S13] 3)  Please submit any other comments or information you wish to provide regarding legal, administrative and other measures that have been taken or are planned in your country to ensure fair recruitment and employment practices.
Migrant health personnel are entitled to fair pay and to basic rights and protections in the workplace. They must be provided with the same terms and conditions as Australian workers performing the same work in the same work location, including equal pay and conditions of employment.
Hide [S14] 4)  Please submit any other comments or information you wish to provide regarding difficulties faced by your health personnel working outside your country and any measures that have been taken or are planned in your country to ensure their fair recruitment and employment practices.
N/A
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Section 01: Qualitative information (5-12)

Hide [S15] 5)  Has your country or its sub-national governments entered into bilateral, regional or multilateral agreements or arrangements addressing the international recruitment of health personnel?
No
Hide [S15b] If 'No', please proceed using 'Next' button at the bottom of the screen.
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Section 01: Qualitative information (5-12) contd.

Hide [S17] 7) If your country or its sub-national governments entered into bilateral, regional or multilateral agreements, do those take account of the needs of developing countries and countries with economies in transition?
Yes
Hide [S18] 8)  If “Yes”, please tick all options of type of support that apply from the list below:
8.a) Training
8.b) Twinning of health care facilities
8.c) Promotion of circular migration
8.d) Retention strategies
8.e) Education programs
8.f) Other mechanism, please provide details if possible:
Broad capacity building and governance programmes
Other
Hide [S19] 9)  Does your country strive to meet its health personnel needs with its domestically trained health personnel, notably through measures to educate, retain and sustain a health workforce that is appropriate for the specific conditions of your country, including areas of greatest need?
Yes
Hide [S110]

10)  If “Yes”,  use Table B below to indicate the top 3 measures in place :

Table B – measures taken to educate, retain and sustain the health workforce

Measure Type Description
10.a) Commonwealth Government initiatives Australia is currently implementing a number of health workforce initiatives, including: • a significant increase in support for medical internships, and other postgraduate specialist training positions, including supporting 1,500 commencing general practice (GP) trainees every year from 2015, an increase of 300 from 2014. • better targeted funding for medical, nursing and allied health scholarships, with an emphasis on providing services in regional, rural and remote areas. • retention incentives paid to doctors working in rural and remote areas, with incentive payments of up to $60,000 per annum for individual doctors.
10.b) The National Medical Training Advisory Network (NMTAN) The NMTAN, comprising of representatives from medical training and service provider groups and government representatives from Australian national and state jurisdictions, is: • devising National Medical Training Plans, to indicate the optimal intake of medical students and migrant doctors required for the future, balanced against the consequent requirements for pre-vocational and specialist training places, and • focusing on providing policy advice for health ministers on improved coordination of the training process and targeting training to meet community needs in terms of both medical specialties and geographical distribution.
10.c) Medical training institutions, medical students and interns The number of medical students and interns in Australia has increased dramatically since 2006: • the number of medical students studying in Australian universities increased from 10,849 in 2006 to 16,837 in 2014 (an increase of 55 per cent). • the number of commencing interns increased from 1,771 in 2006 to 3,287 in 2014 (an increase of 86 per cent). Australia has also increased the number of tertiary institutions offering medical training.
Hide [S111] 11)  Has your country adopted measures to address the geographical mal-distribution of health workers and to support their retention in underserved areas?
Yes
Hide [S112]

12) If “Yes”,  use Table C below to indicate the top 3 measures in place :

Table C – measures taken to address the geographical mal-distribution of health workers

Measure Type Description
12.a) The Health Workforce Scholarships Programme and rural targets for training programmes The Health Workforce Scholarships Programme encourages people to study health courses in the areas of practice where they are needed most, and requires a return of service in rural areas for most scholarship recipients once they have graduated. The programme is targeted to grow health professions likely to be in shortage and to better support the need for health workers in rural areas. The Specialist Training Programme (STP) enables medical specialist trainees to rotate through an expanded range of settings beyond traditional public teaching hospitals, including rural, remote and private facilities. Future reform of the STP will focus more on the capacity of regional and rural areas to accommodate a greater proportion of the 900 funded specialist training posts. Of the 1,500 GP trainees commencing each year under the Australian General Practice Training Programme, at least 50% of training will occur in rural and regional areas.
12.b) University Departments of Rural Health (UDRH) Programme and the Rural Clinical Training and Support (RCTS) Programme The UDRH Programme encourages students of medicine, nursing and other health professions to pursue a career in rural practice by providing opportunities for students to practise their clinical skills in a rural environment. It also supports health professionals currently practising in rural settings. The RCTS Programme is designed to address the shortage of medical practitioners within rural and remote Australia. The intention is to develop and maintain an effective medical student training infrastructure in rural Australia around which the development of the local medical workforce can be assisted and promoted. The programme requires 25% of all Commonwealth supported students to undertake at least one full year of their clinical training in a rural setting, and that at least 25% of students are from a rural background.
12.c) The Bonded Medical Places (BMP) Scheme The BMP Scheme is intended to provide more doctors for areas experiencing doctor shortages. 25% of all first year Commonwealth supported medical school places are allocated to the scheme. Students accepting a placement under this scheme commit to working in a district of workforce shortage for a period of time, once they have qualified as a medical specialist or general practitioner.
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Section 01: Qualitative information (13-17)

Hide [S113] 13)  Does your country have any (government and/or non-government) programs or institutions undertaking research in health personnel migration?
No
Hide [S115] 15) Has your country established a database of laws and regulations related to international health personnel recruitment and migration and, as appropriate, information related to their implementation?
Yes
Hide [S1151] 15.1) Please provide details of the database reference or a web-link:

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) collects and reports the number of temporary and permanent visa applications granted to health personnel. Temporary migration (457) visa data is publicly available on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website, as is information about Australian laws and rules relating to migration.
Hide [S116] 16)  Does your country have any mechanism(s) or entity(ies) to maintain statistical records of health personnel whose first qualification was obtained overseas?
Yes
Hide [S1161]

16.1)  Please use Table E below to provide the contact details of each entity.

 

Table E Contact details of mechanism(s) or entity(ies) maintaining  statistical records of health personnel whose first qualification was obtained overseas

Name of mechanism or entity Contact details Web-link (if available)
16.1 a) National Health Workforce Data Set The Commonwealth Department of Health
16.1 b)
16.1 c)
16.1 d)
16.1 e)
16.1 f)
16.1 g)
Hide [S1162]

16.2) For the entity named in Q(16.1) please use Table F below to specify whether the information gathered include the following:

Table F Description of the statistical information available on the internationally recruited health personnel

Hide [S1162col1] 16.2)
Hide [S1162col2]

Entity


Hide [S1162col3] Occupation category


Hide [S1162col4] Country of first qualification


Hide [S1162col5] Year of first recruitment


Hide [S1162col6] Age


Hide [S1162col7] Sex

Hide [S1162aa] Entity 1
Hide [S1162a] Entity
National Health Workforce Data Set
Hide [S1162b]

Categories of Skilled Health Personnel (Include all that apply)

* Please use this category only if the information available has no clear separation in reported numbers between the two cadres

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Nurses/Midwives*
Dentists
Pharmacists
As well as the above occupation categories, includes: • Chiropractors • Medical radiation practitioners • Occupational therapists • Optometrists • Osteopath • physiotherapists • Podiatrists • Psychologists • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners • Chinese medicine practitioners
Other
Hide [S1162c] Country of first qualification
Yes
Hide [S1162d] Year of first recruitment

No
Hide [S1162e] Age
Yes
Hide [S1162f] Sex
Yes
Hide [S1162bb] Entity 2
Hide [S1162a2] Entity

Hide [S1162b2]

Categories of Skilled Health Personnel (Include all that apply)

* Please use this category only if the information available has no clear separation in reported numbers between the two cadres

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Nurses/Midwives*
Dentists
Pharmacists
Other
Hide [S1162c2] Country of first qualification
Hide [S1162d2] Year of first recruitment

Hide [S1162e2] Age
Hide [S1162f2] Sex
Hide [S11623] Entity 3
Hide [S1162a3] Entity

Hide [S1162b3]

Categories of Skilled Health Personnel (Include all that apply)

* Please use this category only if the information available has no clear separation in reported numbers between the two cadres

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Nurses/Midwives*
Dentists
Pharmacists
Other
Hide [S1162c3] Country of first qualification
Hide [S1162d3] Year of first recruitment

Hide [S1162e3] Age
Hide [S1162f3] Sex
Hide [S1162dd] Entity 4
Hide [S1162a4] Entity

Hide [S1162b4]

Categories of Skilled Health Personnel (Include all that apply)

* Please use this category only if the information available has no clear separation in reported numbers between the two cadres

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Nurses/Midwives*
Dentists
Pharmacists
Other
Hide [S1162c4] Country of first qualification
Hide [S116d4] Year of first recruitment

Hide [S1162e4] Age
Hide [S1162f4] Sex
Hide [S1162ee] Entity 5
Hide [S1162a5] Entity

Hide [S1162b5]

Categories of Skilled Health Personnel (Include all that apply)

* Please use this category only if the information available has no clear separation in reported numbers between the two cadres

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Nurses/Midwives*
Dentists
Pharmacists
Other
Hide [S1162c5] Country of first qualification
Hide [S1162d5] Year of first recruitment

Hide [S1162e5] Age
Hide [S1162f5] Sex
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Section 01: Qualitative information (13-17) contd.

Hide [S117] 17)  Does your country have any mechanism(s) or entity(ies) to regulate or grant authorization to practice to internationally recruited health personnel and maintain statistical records on them?
Yes
Hide [S1171]

17.1)  Please use Table G below to provide the contact details of each entity.

 

Table G Contact details of mechanism(s) or entity(ies) regulating ot granting  authorization to practice to internationally recruited health personnel

Name of mechanism or entity Contact details Web-link (if available)
17.1 a) Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency AHPRA, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, +61 3 9275 9009 http://www.ahpra.gov.au
17.1 b)
17.1 c)
17.1 d)
17.1 e)
17.1 f)
17.1 g)
Hide [S1172]

 For the entity named in Q(17.1) please use Table H below to indicate whether the information gathered include the following details:

Table H Description of information available on authorization and regulation of practice of internationally recruited health personnel

Hide [S1172col1] 17.2)
Hide [S1172col2]

Entity


Hide [S1172col3] Occupation category


Hide [S1172col4] Country of first qualification


Hide [S1172col5] Year of first recruitment


Hide [S1172col6] Age


Hide [S1172col7] Sex

Hide [S1172aa] Entity 1
Hide [S1172a] Entity
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
Hide [S1172b]

Categories of Skilled Health Personnel (Include all that apply)

* Please use this category only if the information available has no clear separation in reported numbers between the two cadres

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Nurses/Midwives*
Dentists
Pharmacists
Other (include details as necessary)
As well as the above occupation categories, includes: • Chiropractors • Medical radiation practitioners • Occupational therapists • Optometrists • Osteopath • Physiotherapists • Podiatrists • Psychologists • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners • Chinese medicine practitioners
Other
Hide [S1172c] Country of first qualification

Yes
Hide [S1172d] Year of first recruitment

No
Hide [S1172e] Age
Yes
Hide [S1172f] Sex
Yes
Hide [S1172bb] Entity 2
Hide [S1172a2] Entity

Hide [S1172b2]

Categories of Skilled Health Personnel (Include all that apply)

* Please use this category only if the information available has no clear separation in reported numbers between the two cadres

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Nurses/Midwives*
Dentists
Pharmacists
Other (include details as necessary)
Other
Hide [S1172c2] Country of first qualification

Hide [S1172d2] Year of first recruitment

Hide [S1172e2] Age
Hide [S1172f2] Sex
Hide [S1172cc] Entity 3
Hide [S1172a3] Entity

Hide [S1172b3]

Categories of Skilled Health Personnel (Include all that apply)

* Please use this category only if the information available has no clear separation in reported numbers between the two cadres

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Nurses/Midwives*
Dentists
Pharmacists
Other (include details as necessary)
Other
Hide [S1172c3] Country of first qualification

Hide [S1172d3] Year of first recruitment

Hide [S1172e3] Age
Hide [S1172f3] Sex
Hide [S1172dd] Entity 4
Hide [S1172a4] Entity

Hide [S1172b4]

Categories of Skilled Health Personnel (Include all that apply)

* Please use this category only if the information available has no clear separation in reported numbers between the two cadres

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Nurses/Midwives*
Dentists
Pharmacists
Other (include details as necessary)
Other
Hide [S1172c4] Country of first qualification

Hide [S1172d4] Year of first recruitment

Hide [S1172e4] Age
Hide [S1172f4] Sex
Hide [S1172ee] Entity 5
Hide [S1172a5] Entity

Hide [S1172b5]

Categories of Skilled Health Personnel (Include all that apply)

* Please use this category only if the information available has no clear separation in reported numbers between the two cadres

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Nurses/Midwives*
Dentists
Pharmacists
Other (include details as necessary)
Other
Hide [S1172c5] Country of first qualification

Hide [S1172d5] Year of first recruitment

Hide [S1172e5] Age
Hide [S1172f5] Sex
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Section 01: Qualitative information (18-21)

Hide [S118] 18) Has an assessment of what is needed to implement the Code at the national, sub-national and local level been made?
No
Hide [S119] 19) Has your country taken any steps to implement the Code?
Yes
Hide [S120] 20) To describe those steps taken to implement the Code, please tick all items that apply from the list below – the box can be ticked even if only some of the elements per step have been applied:
20.a) Actions have been taken to communicate and share information across sectors on health worker recruitment and migration issues, as well as the Code, among relevant ministries, departments and agencies, nationally and sub-nationally
20.b) Measures have been taken to involve all stakeholders in any decision-making processes involving health personnel migration and international recruitment.
20.c) Actions are being considered to introduce changes to laws or policies to bring them into conformity with the recommendations of the Code.
20.d) Records are maintained of all recruiters authorized by competent authorities to operate within their jurisdiction.
20.e) There exists a mechanism for regulation and accreditation of all recruiters authorized by competent authorities to operate within their jurisdiction.
20.f) Good practices are encouraged and promoted among recruitment agencies.
20.g) If Other steps have been taken, please give more details:
Australia remains committed to the principles of the Code, and it is taking steps consistent with the objectives of the Code, especially increasing domestic health workforce capacity to reduce reliance on international health professionals within the health system. Australia has a robust skilled migration policy that is ethical, non-discriminatory and based on strong bilateral relationships with WHO member states.
Other
Hide [S121] 21) Please list in priority order, the three main constraints to the implementation of the Code in your country and propose possible solutions:
Main constraints Possible solution
21.a) N/A N/A
21.b) N/A N/A
21.c) N/A N/A
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Section 01: Qualitative information (22-24)

Hide [S122] 22) Has your country provided assistance to one or more Member States or other stakeholders to support their implementation of the Code?
No
Hide [S123] 23) Does your country receive / requested assistance from one or more countries or other stakeholders to support its implementation of the Code?
No
Hide [S124] 24.1) Please submit any other complementary comments or material you wish to provide regarding the international recruitment and management of migration of the health workforce that would relate to implementation of the Code.
Australia has a highly skilled and motivated health workforce and the Australian government continues to implement policies to attract, train and retain increased numbers of health professionals, with the ultimate goal of achieving self-sufficiency in health workforce training. The Australian government invests over $1.3 billion per annum in health workforce capacity building, including a substantial investment in workforce reform which expands training opportunities for Australian medical, nursing and allied health students. The Department of Health is not aware of any Australian Government research being undertaken in health personnel migration, however universities, centres of public policy and independent organisations may be undertaking research in this area.
Hide [S242] 24.2) Please submit any other complementary  material you wish to provide regarding the international recruitment and management of migration of the health workforce that would relate to implementation of the Code.
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Section 02: Quantitative information - Minimum Data Sets

Hide [S2]

Questionnaire on Foreign-trained Doctors and Nurses

Please follow the instructions within the spreadsheet to complete the questionnaire.


To download the spreadheet please follow the link: /dataformv6/upload/surveys/378366/docs/Adapted_Template_Workforce%20Migration_2015.xls

 

Hide [S22] Please upload the filled out spreadsheet here
Australias data input
No comment
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Section 03: Reporting instrument for other stakeholders (optional)

Hide [S31] Submitted by: 

Hide [S32] Contact details:

Hide [S33] Name of entity submitting the report:

Hide [S34] Responsible and/or contact person:

Hide [S35] Mailing address:

Hide [S36] Telephone number:
Hide [S37] Fax:
Hide [S38] Email:
Hide [S39] Website URL :
Hide [S310] Description of the entity submitting the report:

Hide [S311] Please describe the entity submitting this report and the nature of its involvement or interest in international health personnel migration issues relevant to the Code.