Dream Australia

Dr Sidd Sarmah’s journey from India to regional Queensland

Shortly after obtaining his medical qualifications in India, Sidd Sarmah moved to the United Kingdom for medical training in an emergency department of a local hospital and then as a General Practitioner.  After completing his Member of Royal College of GP (MRCGP) in 2010, the same quest for new experience, which made him move from India to the UK made him look for other professional challenges. The experiences of some of his colleagues who had migrated from the UK made him seriously consider a trial run in Australia. The sunshine state of Queensland appealed most due to its laid back lifestyle, career opportunities, family and work balance lifestyle and the warm tropical weather.

Having been settled in the UK for a decade, he expected that migrating to Australia with his wife and 2 toddlers would be a difficult journey.  During their time in the UK they had developed memories, friendships and professional relationships that had been painstakingly built up over a long period of time and they expected that getting used to a new way of life might be challenging.

Preparations started with a short 3-day visit in August 2012 to Brisbane where he met a potential employer who reassured him that the entire move was worth the effort. Having made up his mind, he started the pain staking process of compiling the paperwork. The entire process of RACGP recognition, selecting and applying through the correct specialist pathway and AHPRA and later the Provider Number applications is enough to give anyone nightmares as it can be very tedious and soul numbing.  As a result, Sidd decided to seek professional support and guidance from the staff at Health Workforce Queensland who made him feel confident that he would be successful in making this dream to work in Australia a reality. 

The migration and recruitment teams at Health Workforce Queensland supported him throughout the process of obtaining a 457 Visa and medical registration. There was a personalised touch to whatever was offered by Peter Chong and the team at Health Workforce Queensland and the knowledge that there was someone he could turn to when in doubt was very reassuring. The staff at Health Workforce Queensland made it look so easy with their level of experience and knowledge of the system and processes! Peter Chong, the Team Leader at HWQ Migration Solutions in particular was always available at the end of a phone even in the ungodly hours and on weekends and the support provided was phenomenal.

Sidd has been able to navigate through the process of registration, fellowship and licensing relatively easily with the help of Health Workforce Queensland. Their recruitment consultants offered support with the whole relocation process, including Medicare registration for my entire family. The initial induction they offered regarding Medicare, item numbers and the intricate nuances was brilliant. HWQ Migration Solutions also handled the permanent residency application for their family and it went through without any issues. 

Sidd started working in Jimbooma in January 2013 and has now managed to ease into a full time GP position.  Their family is  settled and happy with they decision to migrate to Queensland. The Jimbooma community has warmly embraced the Sarmah family and are now very much part of the Jimbooma community. What started out as a trial relocation to Australia has now become a permanent move with Peter Chong from HWQ assisting them to obtain permanent residency in Australia.

If you are considering migrating to work in Australia’s health sector and not sure where to start or require professional advice then get in contact with Health Workforce Queensland for recruitment and migration advice.

To contact Health Workforce Queensland by email: here or to visit their website: here or for health workforce employment opportunities: here