BRISBANE - Prime Minister John Howard has joined senior medical officials and the Queensland Government in urging the public not to persecute foreign doctors practicing in Australia.
The calls come after the questioning of two overseas-trained doctors in Australia over the thwarted terror attacks in London and Glasgow.
Dr Mohamed Haneef, 27, a registrar at the Gold Coast Hospital, remains in custody and is being questioned by federal police, while his colleague Dr Mohammed Asif Ali, 26, was today released without charge.
Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Dr Rosanna Capolingua today defended the recruitment of internationally trained doctors to Australia, saying they were an invaluable part of the health system.
"It is a natural feeling for people to feel disturbed about what has happened and I am sure Australians, particularly ones who are just encountering an overseas-trained doctor and don't have a relationship with them, will feel a little anxious," Dr Capolingua told reporters in Adelaide.
"Overseas-trained doctors have been an essential part of our workforce for many years.
"I don't want patients to be frightened to see their doctor."
Mr Howard said foreign doctors had long been a valuable part of Australia's health system.
"Foreign doctors came to this country long before terrorism was an issue," he told reporters in Bega, on the NSW south coast.
"So I think we have to be careful not to jump to too many conclusions."
A doctor's nationality should never affect the way they carry out their work, Federal Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey said.
"Next time you're in hospital and you're very ill and you've got an Irish nurse, I don't think you'll be complaining whether she's Irish or Australian," Mr Hockey said.
The AMA said state medical boards carried out reference checks on all foreign doctors, but security checks were the responsibility of the immigration department.
"Medical boards aren't scrutinising people to see whether or not they are members of terrorist packs," Dr Capolingua said.
Almost 50 per cent of rural doctors in Queensland were international medical graduates and up to 5,000 were in the Australian health system, Dr Capolingua said.
She said the AMA would not launch an investigation into current recruitment practices.
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said his Government would continue to recruit foreign-trained doctors to cover the shortage of Australian doctors in the state's health system.
"The overseas-trained doctors who work in our system are very good and every day they save the lives of Queenslanders, and without them we wouldn't have a health system," Mr Beattie said.
Queensland Health director-general Uschi Schreiber urged Queenslanders to support foreign-trained doctors despite the questioning of the two Gold Coast doctors.
"I urge Queenslanders to show support for international doctors in their communities who are likely to be feeling some stress at this time," Ms Schreiber said.
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