Australia
Additional Transparency about Disciplinary Action
Patients are being given greater insight into the safety of practitioners, under new measures that will see proven instances of sexual misconduct permanently published on their public register record.
The amendments will also provide increased protection for people who make complaints about health practitioners, including new measures making it an offence for practitioners to enter into non-disclosure agreements that prevent complaints being made to health regulators.
Ahpra Acting CEO Kym Ayscough said the new measures were a milestone in patient protection.
“Everybody has the right to expect their practitioner to be safe and fit to practice, and these reforms strengthen that right,” Ms. Ayscough said.
“We support these changes, which align with the range of reforms that Ahpra and the National Boards are progressing as part of our actions to improve public safety involving sexual misconduct in healthcare.”
Further information is available at https://www.ahpra.gov.au/News/2025-04-04-Increased-protection-for-the-public.aspx
Canada
Annual Report Released
On February 4, 2025, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) released its 2024 Annual Report.
Highlights include:
The launch of a new Physician Register, offering a better user experience and state-of-the-art security;
Creation of new and updated pathways to licensure for qualified doctors;
Engagement of 8980 doctors through CPSO's Quality Improvement Program, well exceeding the target of 6500;
Closing of complaint files within 130 days of receipt (80th percentile), surpassing CPSO's goal of 150 days; and
Implementation of governance changes to modernize CPSO's election process for physician Board Directors.
The full report is available at https://www.cpso.on.ca/en/News/Publications/Annual-Report
South Korea
Increase in Number of Physicians Attending Overseas Medical Schools
According to information released by the South Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare, one out of every five doctors who passed the state medical qualification exam graduated from overseas medical schools.
Of the 269 doctors who obtained their medical license in 2024, 52, or 19.3%, studied at foreign institutions.
By country, 39 new doctors hold diplomas issued by Hungarian medical schools. Russia, Britain and Kyrgyzstan produced two doctors each. Norway, New Zealand, the United States, Brazil, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Australia follow with one new doctor each.
The two former state-run medical exams certified 3181 doctors in 2023 and 3045 in 2024. In both years, doctors holding foreign diplomas accounted for around one percent of the successful candidates—32 in 2023 and 25 in 2024. Thus, the number of newly certified doctors who studied abroad has doubled over a year.
Further information is available at https://korea-joongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-01-26/national/socialAffairs/One-in-five-new-doctors-went-to-medical-school-overseas/2230647
