The RACP is tripping over past mistakes with leadership drama drawing doubts from members.
Pressure is mounting on the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, after a vote of no confidence in the president-elect sparked a wave of no-confidence from members.
This inner turmoil at the RACP has come at a tumultuous time for the college, with many members questioning the value of their registration.
While the college has weathered scandals in the past, this is one of the first since the advent of CPD homes, which allow doctors to complete CPD outside of the medical colleges.
It means that doctors can now keep practising as a specialist without being the member of a college.
This change was implemented young doctors in mind, keeping pressure on colleges to expand training for a larger doctor cohort.
In practice this means that for many specialists, college membership is no longer a necessity, with some beginning to question the RACP’s $2100 yearly membership fees.
For registrars, membership can cost up to $4000 yearly, a cost which is linked to maintaining the training standards of specialists across numerous areas of expertise.
This past weekend, the RACP board passed a vote of no confidence in president-elect, renal physician Dr Sharmila Chandran.
Dr Chandran was elected last year.
Reportedly, eight out of 10 members threatened to resign immediately if Dr Chandran became president.
The RACP has not yet revealed the circumstances which prompted the vote.
This infighting has been received with minimal surprise on social media with users complaining that the vote does not push the college into an effective direction for members.
One Reddit poster called it “wannabe Game of Thrones”.
“The College is committed to accountability to its members,” current president Jennifer Martin said.
“Governance and accountability are in place.”
Infighting over a president-elect is nothing strange to the RACP, with former president Professor John Wilson having seen similar circumstances in 2020.
It was also in 2020 that the then RACP CEO resigned citing governance issues, stating, “after forming the view that the agenda of the RACP would be best addressed by a CEO with a specific focus on governance reform”.
Professor John Wilson has called on the college to publicly explain the reasoning for the no-confidence vote for Dr Chandran.
“The board has a particular perception of an individual, and it would be a really good idea for the integrity of the college if the board explained why they have no confidence in the president-elect and in terms of what’s been going on,” Professor Wilson said, as reported in The Australian.
Related
The RACP board has now passed a vote of confidence in Professor Martin, and Dr Chandran has since lodged a Fair Work action.
“It has been very difficult, and the push for reform has been blocked at numerous times by many individuals who want to maintain the status quo where the power and influence within the college remains with a relatively small group,” Professor Wilson said.
“We had aspirational goals for greater transparency, inclusion, and to make the college an organisation that was value for money for members.”
The RACP is fairly unique in how it is a college that elects its president via its members with automatic chair appointment for said president.
The current board has been reportedly acting to change this system to the criticism of former RACP board director Professor Paul Komesaroff.
“The president-elect was elected by a democratic vote and this appears to be a blatant attempt to subvert the will of the electors,” Professor Komesaroff told The Australian.
“Surely, if there are disagreements about important issues, these should be argued out publicly with involvement of the membership.
“If the college is unable to reform and make itself more democratic, inclusive and responsive to its members, the latter will vote with their feet.”
