Having an entry ATAR of 99% combined with a massive demand for medical professionals across the board, combined with it requiring people that want to be doctors and willing to endure the mess, long hours, dealing with real people problems and the long and difficult study requirements means there will always be a shortage of doctors.
I’m sure we would all agree that high academic achievement is something that’s essential for a career in medicine. Nevertheless, the very high ATAR requirements are set by the universities in response to demand for the limited number of places funded by the Federal Government; they are not a requirement for the job
per se and there is hardly a shortage of applicants. A person with an ATAR of 99 or higher does not necessarily make a better doctor than someone with an ATAR of 95. The notion that only those who achieve an ATAR of 99 or higher are capable of passing the course and becoming good doctors is elitist nonsense.