Australia is considering having nurses perform some physician duties. The Australian Medical Association reacts:

AMA national vice-president Choong-Siew Yong said proposals to replace doctors with “lesser-trained and lower-skilled” health workers was unacceptable.

“A doctor is a doctor is a doctor,” Dr Yong said.

“Australians in the city and in the country in all states and territories want quick and affordable access to a doctor – not a doctor substitute.

“Voters will not accept a lower-quality health system.” Dr Yong said the report ignored the real solution to doctor shortages – training more doctors and providing incentives to doctors to stay in the system or attract others back to the workforce.