On podiatric surgery

Podiatric surgery is a registered specialty in Australia, supported by nationally accredited training programs and decades of safe, effective practice. Despite this, podiatric surgeons are excluded from public hospitals and government-funded services, eliminating their ability to contribute to high-demand areas of surgical care. This commentary explores systemic barriers to the integration of podiatric surgeons within the Australian health system. It draws on national regulatory frameworks, clinical audit data, and international comparisons including interprofessional agreements in the United Kingdom and United States, to examine how a well-trained but vastly underutilised specialist surgical workforce remains siloed outside public care. Structural reforms would allow podiatric surgeons to participate in multidisciplinary teams, reduce surgical waiting times, and support patients with complex foot and ankle conditions, especially those with conditions such as diabetic foot disease, that are known to deteriorate with time, and patients from marginalised and remote demographics. International examples show that enabling access and removing funding exclusions improve service equity, alleviate surgical bottlenecks, and bring Australia in line with global best practice.