Australian govt refuses to pay for treatment of Indian doctor's son

Melbourne, Mar 20 (UNI) An Indian doctor working in Brisbane may have to leave the country following the Federal Government's refusal to pay for medical treatment for his Australian-born son.

The doctor, a member of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australian Medical Association, has a temporary resident visa valid until 2008.

He had recently applied for a permanent residency for him and his family.

But the Immigration Department delayed the process after a report from the Commonwealth Medical Officer said the doctor's infant son requires orthopaedic and pediatric care for a minor disability.

The Queensland Government has expressed its outrage to Canberra as it is facing an acute shortage of doctors and physicians and has struggled to employ 300 new doctors over the last 18 months to ease its health crisis.

An Immigration Department spokesman confirmed that medical advice said the doctor's son does not meet the health requirement. He however, said that a final decision had not been taken yet.

UNI XC AK LR KP1954