Peak medical body the Australian Medical Association is backing moves to require older doctors to undergo mandatory health checks to prove their competence.
But not all are so supportive of the changes, with the The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners concerned they could lead to "discriminatory profiling" of doctors.
The Medical Board of Australia will introduce the new safeguards to protect patient safety and strengthen community trust in medical practitioners.
All Australian practitioners aged 70 or over must have their work peer-reviewed and undergo health tests every three years, including cognitive screening, under the Professional Performance Framework announced on Tuesday.
Given the strong evidence on age-related risk of poor performance, the MBA said it recognised that addressing the issue to keep patients safe was a "must".
"Doctors tend to retire later than many other professionals and often wish to continue to make important professional contributions as they age," the board's report said.
Dr Michael Gannon, Federal President of the AMA says the right to practise medicine well beyond the age of 70 is something "very important" to doctors.
"You get very used to the title, you get very used to the respect that other members of the community afford you and, in many cases, you can appropriately practise medicine well into your advanced years," Dr Michael Gannon told ABC Radio Melbourne.
Dr Gannon said "overall" the AMA supported the announced changes.
However RACP President Dr Bastian Seidel has raised concern about the MBA's proposed plans for older doctors.
"The RACGP will continue to advocate strongly against any discriminatory profiling of GPs," said Dr Seidel.
"Our members dedicate their lives to general practice and the Australian community and do not deserve to be subjected to any form of discriminatory screening."
Substantiated complaints made against doctors will also come under greater scrutiny under the MBA's crackdown on registered medical practitioners.
Doctors will also be required to complete 50 hours of annual professional development training to ensure their skills are up to date in order to maintain registration.
