Patel verdict could see doctor shortage

A backlash against overseas trained doctors following the Jayant Patel verdict could
drive desperately needed medicos away, an advocacy group says.
The former surgeon, dubbed Dr Death, was convicted by a Brisbane jury on Tuesday of
killing three patients and permanently injuring another.
The Australian Doctors Trained Overseas Association said on Wednesday that its
members had to care for patients in circumstances more difficult than their locally
trained counterparts usually faced.
"Not only do they often work where their Australian counterparts refuse to, they are
often paid less for the same services," the association said in a statement.
It warned that overseas trained doctors were already discriminated against in
Australia and that the situation could now become worse.
"An inappropriate negative backlash against overseas trained doctors in the wake of
the Patel case ... is likely to drive critically needed overseas trained doctors
away from Australia," the association said.
It called on the Queensland government to voice confidence in overseas trained
doctors, and acknowledge that system failures led to the tragedies at Bundaberg Base
Hospital.
The association also wants the state government to promise to fix the
"dysfunctional" health and registration system.