Perth specialist GP and medical educator Dr Ramya Raman has been elected the next President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, securing an outright majority in a national ballot of eligible members.

Dr Raman was declared President-elect after voting closed at midday on Friday, 21 August 2026, and will formally take over from current RACGP President Dr Michael Wright at the College’s Annual General Meeting on 19 November 2026.

The election result shows Dr Raman received 5,386 votes, ahead of Victorian GP Dr Anita Muñoz on 3,611 and Queensland GP Dr Gavin Colthart on 869.

A total of 9,866 eligible votes were cast from 39,712 ballots issued, representing a turnout of 24.8 per cent. Because Dr Raman secured an absolute majority on first preferences, there was no need for preferences to be distributed.

Her election elevates one of Western Australia’s best-known general practice advocates to the leadership of an organisation representing more than 53,000 members across Australia.

Dr Raman said she was grateful for the confidence placed in her by fellow GPs and pledged to focus on practical changes for doctors, practices and patients.

“Thank you for the trust you have placed in me to serve as RACGP President. I am grateful for the opportunity to represent our profession,” she said in a message to members following the result.

She thanked outgoing President Dr Wright for his leadership and said members had repeatedly raised three broad concerns during the campaign — having a stronger professional voice, ensuring general practice remained financially sustainable and having a College that actively supported GPs.

“My focus will be on tangible outcomes: stronger investment in general practice, better support for practices and our workforce, less unnecessary red tape, protection of specialist GP scope, and a College that is more accountable to its members,” Dr Raman said.

She promised a “practical, collaborative and determined” approach to working with members, governments and other health-sector organisations.

The RACGP said Dr Raman’s presidency would focus on issues including access to care, the financial viability of practices, workforce sustainability, preventive health, education and training, and the longer-term strength of Australia’s primary healthcare system.

Dr Raman is already one of the College’s most senior figures, currently serving as RACGP Vice-President and Chair of RACGP Western Australia.

Originally from Orange in regional New South Wales, she completed her medical training at the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle before establishing her career in Western Australia.

She is Director of The Garden Family Medical Clinic in Perth, where she leads a multidisciplinary team, and is also Discipline Head of General Practice at the University of Notre Dame’s School of Medicine in Fremantle.

Read the full story here.

Source
Jitarth Jai Bharadwaj. (2026, August 25). Indian-origin GP Dr Ramya Raman elected to lead Australia’s 53,000-member RACGP. The Australia Today. https://www.theaustraliatoday.com.au/indian-origin-gp-dr-ramya-raman-elected-to-lead-australias-53000-member-racgp/