Why has my clinic asked me to sign a statutory declaration when I leave?

This is a FAQ BLOG and you can refer to our 19AB & IMGs | DWS / DPA | 10 Year Moratorium | 19AB Exemptions blog here.

If you are a Doctor who began working for a clinic before it was made a Distribution Priority Area and are now leaving that clinic, often the Practice Manager will ask you to sign a statutory declaration.

By signing this statutory declaration, you are stating that you have closed your Provider number and don’t intend to return to the area to practice whilst inside of your moratorium.

The statutory declaration is acceptable from a departing doctor, but it is a requirement for a new doctor to be considered under the replacement provision. This gives the clinic the opportunity to hire another 19AB restricted Doctor, ensuring your patients keep getting the care they need.

It does mean that you are unable to return to work in any practice in that area (the DPA area defined on the Health Workforce Locator) until you have finished your moratorium.

Note: The information presented above has been gathered from email enquiries with AHPRA and has been updated as of 2023-09-28.

We Can Help You

Here at People Medical Consulting, we have a passion for guiding medical practitioners through their career pathways to Australia. We have extensive experience in assisting medical facilities in recruiting doctors from local and overseas who will best suit their requirements.

We provide Document Assistance for those requiring support for their PESCI with IME, ACRRM or RACGP, registration and all other mandatory AHPRA requirements, fellowship program related forms and letters, application for Medicare provider and prescriber numbers, application for 19AB or 19AA exemptions and preparation of employment documents.

If you’re looking for assistance, contact us at help@peoplemedical.com.au and we would be glad to help you.