AMA a key player in federal politics

AMA President Dr Michael Gannon opened the 2017 National Conference letting delegates know that while the past 12 months had been eventful, much had been achieved in the realm of health policy.

He continued with that theme throughout the three-day event in Melbourne, which brought together not only the elite of the medical profession but also the highest level of Australian political leaders.

“The AMA is a key player in federal politics in Canberra. The range of issues we deal with every day is extensive,” Dr Gannon said.

“Our engagement with the Government, the bureaucracy, and with other health groups is constant and at the highest levels.

“Our policy work is across the health spectrum, and is highly regarded.

“The AMA’s political influence is significant.”

Describing the political environment over the past year as volatile – which included a federal election and two Health Ministers to deal with – Dr Gannon said the AMA had spent the year negotiating openly and positively with all sides of politics.

“Our standing is evidenced by the attendance at this conference of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, Greens Leader Senator Richard Di Natale, Health Minister Greg Hunt, Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Indigenous Health Ken Wyatt AM, and Shadow Health Minister Catherine King,” he said.

“Health policy has been a priority for all of them, as it has been for the AMA.”

While the Medicare rebate freeze was the issue to have dominated medical politics, there are still more policy areas to deal with in the coming year.

The freeze was bad policy that hurt doctors and patients.

“I was pleased just weeks ago on Budget night to welcome the Government’s decision to end the freeze,” Dr Gannon told the conference.

“The freeze will be wound back over three years. We would have preferred an immediate across the board lifting of the freeze, but at least now practices can plan ahead with confidence.

“Lifting the freeze has effectively allowed the Government to rid itself of the legacy of the disastrous 2014 Health Budget.

“We can now move on with our other priorities… We will maintain our role of speaking out on any matter that needs to be addressed in health.”

Dr Gannon said while the Medicare freeze hit general practice hard, it was not the only factor making things tough for hardworking GPs.

General practice is under constant pressure, he said, yet it continues to deliver great outcomes for patients.

GPs are delivering high quality care and are the most cost effective part of the health system.

“One of the most divisive issues that the AMA has had to resolve in the past 12 months is the Government’s ill-considered election deal with Pathology Australia to try and cap rents paid for co-located pathology collection centres,” Dr Gannon said.

“We all know that our pathologist members play a critical role in helping us to make the right decisions about our patients’ care. They are essential to what we do every day.

“It was disappointing to see the Government’s deal pit pathologists against GPs.

“The recent Budget saw the rents deal dumped in favour of a more robust compliance framework, based on existing laws. This is a more balanced approach.”

Other issues the President highlighted as areas the AMA is having significant influence included: Health Care Home Trial; the Practice Incentive Program; My Health Record; Indigenous Health; After-Hours GP Services; the MBS Review; public hospitals; private insurance; and the medical workforce.

Chris Johnson

AMA Gold Medal presented for exceptional service to a ‘one of a kind’

Dr William Glasson AO, the AMA President who steered a course through the medical indemnity crisis in the early 2000s, has been recognised with the highest honour the peak medical body can bestow – the AMA Gold Medal.

Dr Glasson, universally known as Bill, received the Medal in recognition of his exceptional service to the AMA over many years, and his long-term and ongoing commitment to the eye health of Indigenous people.

AMA President, Dr Michael Gannon, who nominated Dr Glasson for the Medal, said that the distinguished ophthalmologist is one of a kind – a truly deserving recipient of the AMA Gold Medal.

Dr Gannon said: “Bill’s generosity and altruism know no bounds. His work extends to outback Queensland, Indigenous communities, and East Timor.

“Bill was always a strong and passionate advocate for the AMA, the medical profession, the health system, and patients throughout his time as President, at both State and national level.”

Dr Gannon acknowledged when presenting the award that Dr Glasson’s leadership produced a very positive outcome for the profession and the Australian people, following many years of hard work by his predecessors, the AMA Federal Council, and the State and Territory AMAs.

“His hours, days, and weeks of tense negotiations with the then Health Minister Tony Abbott paid off. Bill and Tony survived those tough days, and remain close friends to this day,” Dr Gannon said.

“Bill always wears his heart on his sleeve. His style of advocacy is direct and to the point, tinged with a typical Queensland bush sense of humour, which reflects his origins in outback Winton, and characterised by his expert use of the Australian vernacular.”

Dr Glasson has been President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

He is a member of professional organisations such as the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the Australian Optometry Association.

Dr Glasson is an Adjunct Associate Professor with the University of Queensland School of Medicine.

Meredith Horne

AMA lends support to build the Indigenous health workforce

As a 13-year-old, James Chapman watched his father, a proud Indigenous man from Yuwlaaraay country, die after a short, seven-week battle with acute myeloid leukaemia. As a school leaver, he became his mother’s carer for 12 months as she recovered from brain surgery.

Today, the 25-year-old, second-year medical student has won the 2017 AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship – $10,000 a year for each year of study – to help him pursue his dream of becoming a medical professional.

AMA President Dr Michael Gannon, who presented the Scholarship at the AMA National Conference in Melbourne said that Mr Chapman’s story was inspiring.

Dr Gannon believes the award is important because Indigenous people have improved health outcomes when they are treated by Indigenous doctors and health professionals. This is highlighted by the need to build the building the Indigenous health workforce where in 2017, there are just 281 medical practitioners employed in Australia as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander – representing 0.3 per cent of the workforce.

Mr Chapman said that while he did not realise it at the time, his father was a victim of the gap that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians when he saw firsthand communities with access only to a visiting doctor and nurse.

He dreamed of one day becoming a doctor, but was discouraged by his teachers. As a young student at the University of Wollongong his study was derailed when his mother was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and he became her carer for a year while she recovered.

“Constantly in clinical environments, my dream of becoming a medical professional became more intense, and after my mother recovered, I began a Science degree with the intention of completing post graduate medicine,” Mr Chapman said.

Now in his second year, Mr Chapman intends to study from Wagga Wagga from his third year onwards to experience rural health, and rural and remote Indigenous health care. He hopes to become a GP, working with Indigenous women and children in rural and remote Australia.

Dr Gannon said that, in 2017, a total of 286 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students are enrolled across all year levels across Australia. However, four of the 15 colleges are yet to have an Indigenous trainee.

“The AMA Scholarship has assisted many Indigenous men and women, who may not have otherwise had the financial resources to study medicine, to graduate to work in Indigenous and mainstream health services,” Dr Gannon said.

The AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship was established in 1994 with a contribution from the Commonwealth Government. The AMA is looking for further sponsorships to continue this important contribution to Indigenous health.

Donations are tax-deductible. For more information, go to advocacy/indigenous-peoples-medical-scholarship

Meredith Horne

Medical role models honoured at AMA National Conference

AMA Woman in Medicine

Dr Genevieve Goulding, an anaesthetist with a strong social conscience and a passion for doctors’ mental health and welfare, has been named the AMA Woman in Medicine for 2017.

Described by her colleagues as a quiet achiever, ANZCA’s fourth successive female President, Dr Goulding has used her term to focus on professionalism, workforce issues, advocacy, and strengthening ANZCA services for Fellows and trainees.

Dr Goulding is a founding member of the Welfare of Anaesthetists Group, which raises awareness of the many personal and professional issues that can affect the physical and emotional wellbeing of anaesthetists throughout their careers.

Dr Michael Gannon, who presented the award at the AMA National Conference, said that Dr Goulding was a role model for all in the medical profession.

“She has raised the profile and practice of safe and quality anaesthesia. She is committed to ensuring patients – no matter their background or position – can rely on and benefit from our health system,” Dr Gannon said.

Dr Goulding continues to effect change with her work on the ANZCA Council and on the Queensland Medical Board, her numerous positions with the Australian Society of Anaesthetists, and her current work with the Anaesthesia Clinical Committee of the MBS Review.

Excellence in Healthcare Award

This year, AMA recognised a true medical leader Dr Denis Lennox, who has made an outstanding contribution to rural and remote health care in Queensland, and to the training of rural doctors.

Dr Lennox has had an extraordinary career since starting as a physician and medical administrator in his home town of Bundaberg in the 1970s.

Dr Gannon said that Dr Lennox had earned this award through his vision and revolutionary training of rural general practitioners and specialist generalists.

“Dr Lennox has been responsible for real workforce and healthcare improvements in all parts of Queensland, particularly through the Queensland Rural Generalist Program which has delivered more than 130 well-prepared Fellows and trainees into rural practice across Queensland since 2005 – an incredible achievement,” Dr Gannon said when presenting the award.

An Adjunct Associate Professor at James Cook University and Executive Director of Rural and Remote Medical Support at Darling Downs Hospital Health Service, Dr Lennox prepares to retire from 40 years of public service.

AMA Women’s Health Award

A nurse and midwife in Darwin, Eleanor Crighton has been awarded the Women’s Health Award – an award that goes to a person or group, not necessarily a doctor or female, who has made a major contribution to women’s health.

Ms Crighton won the award for her outstanding commitment to Indigenous women’s health.

Dr Gannon when presenting the award to Ms Crighton said that she had made a real difference to the lives of Aboriginal women in the greater Darwin region through them gaining access to affordable family planning.

“As an obstetrician, I know the importance of the work of women’s health teams, particularly in Aboriginal community-controlled organisations like Danila Dilba,” Dr Gannon said.

As the Women’s Health Team leader at Danila Dilba Health Service, Ms Crighton has shown her commitment to Indigenous health by pursuing additional studies and gaining personal skills with the aim of filling gaps in health care services.

Ms Crighton has also worked tirelessly to raise awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and has started training Danila Dilba’s first home-grown trainee midwife, at the same time as pursuing her own Nurse Practitioner studies.

Meredith Horne

AMA’s forward direction examined at National Conference

BY AMA SECRETARY GENERAL ANNE TRIMMER

Another AMA National Conference over with a stimulating and varied program, including appearances from the political leadership. It is rare to have a full hand of senior politicians – the Prime Minister, Health Minister, Minister for Ageing and Indigenous Health, Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Health Minister, and Leader of the Greens. It reinforces the fact that health is front and centre of national politics and will remain there as the next Federal election approaches.

Beyond national politics the Conference considered policy issues as diverse as obesity, organ and tissue donation, and the important topic of doctors’ health. It was pleasing to hear the announcement by Health Minister Greg Hunt that the Government would commit funding to assist in addressing the issue of the mental health of doctors and medical students. This will form part of a larger piece of work that the AMA is embarking on to develop a framework for doctors’ health and wellbeing.

In a year when there is no AMA election (as is the case in the odd-numbered years) delegates have more freedom to consider the policy topics, away from the politics of an election. Delegates have the opportunity to meet informally, as they did over breakfast on Sunday, when groups of members with interests in common came together to share a meal. As one psychiatry delegate commented, it provided a great opportunity to meet with other psychiatry members to realise shared interests and passions.

It was encouraging that members who had never before attended a National Conference were able to participate and see first-hand the work of the AMA. With the move in 2016 to representation from among practice groups, a more diverse representation of members is now supported to participate.

At the Annual General Meeting held during National Conference, the Chair of the Board, Dr Iain Dunlop, and I reflected on the year that was 2016. It was a strong year of medico-political advocacy and member engagement which can be seen in more detail in the Annual Report, available through the website.

I reported on the inaugural Future Leaders program, held in Canberra in early August. Calls for applications are currently open for doctors within the first five years of taking up a leadership position in a State, Territory or Federal AMA. The AMA Board is committed to investing in the development of the next generation of AMA leaders – I encourage you to apply if you qualify. Applications and selection criteria are available through the website.

At the Annual General Meeting the Chair announced to members the decision of the Board, taken after considerable research and reflection, to sell and lease back AMA House in Canberra. The Board took the view that more flexible investment of the capital tied up in the building would provide a better return on members’ funds. The building is fully capitalised following an extensive upgrade to its infrastructure over the past four years. A sale is likely later in 2017 following a marketing campaign.

For those who were not able to attend National Conference, this edition of Australian Medicine provides a good overview.

For the cost of a cup of coffee you can put an Indigenous medical student through university

The AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to study medicine and achieve their dream of becoming doctors.

Each year, the AMA offers one Scholarship to an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student studying medicine at an Australian University, but with the help of your tax deductible donation, we can increase the number of Scholarships offered each year and help grow the Indigenous medical workforce.

Indigenous doctors have a unique ability to align their clinical and sociocultural skills to improve access to services, and provide culturally appropriate care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Yet, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors comprise less than 1 per cent of the entire medical workforce.

Since its inception in 1994, the AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship has helped more than 20 Indigenous men and women become doctors, many of whom may not have otherwise had the financial resources to study medicine. The AMA hopes to expand on this success and increase the number of Scholarships on offer each year to meet a growing demand for the Scholarship.

By supporting an Indigenous medical student throughout their medical training, you are positively contributing to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

If you are interested in making a contribution, you can do so by downloading the donation form at: donate-indigenous-medical-scholarship. Further information about the Scholarship go to: advocacy/indigenous-peoples-medical-scholarship.

For enquiries please contact the AMA via email at indigenousscholarship@ama.com.au or phone (02) 6270 5400.

Donate to the AMA’s Indigenous Medical Scholarship Today!

Indigenous eye health measures 2016

This is the first national report on 22 newly developed Indigenous eye health measures. The measures cover the prevalence of eye health conditions, diagnosis and treatment services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, the eye health workforce and outreach services. Subject to data availability, the report examines differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, as well as differences by factors such as age, sex, remoteness, jurisdiction and Primary Health Network.

Disparities in infant hospitalizations in Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations in Quebec, Canada [Research]

BACKGROUND:

Infant mortality is higher in Indigenous than non-Indigenous populations, but comparable data on infant morbidity are lacking in Canada. We evaluated disparities in infant morbidities experienced by Indigenous populations in Canada.

METHODS:

We used linked population-based birth and health administrative data from Quebec, Canada, to compare hospitalization rates, an indicator of severe morbidity, in First Nations, Inuit and non-Indigenous singleton infants (< 1 year) born between 1996 and 2010.

RESULTS:

Our cohort included 19 770 First Nations, 3930 Inuit and 225 380 non-Indigenous infants. Compared with non-Indigenous infants, all-cause hospitalization rates were higher in First Nations infants (unadjusted risk ratio [RR] 2.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.99–2.11; fully adjusted RR 1.43, 95% CI 1.37–1.50) and in Inuit infants (unadjusted RR 1.96, 95% CI 1.87–2.05; fully adjusted RR 1.37, 95% CI 1.24–1.52). Higher risks of hospitalization (accounting for multiple comparisons) were observed for First Nations infants in 12 of 16 disease categories and for Inuit infants in 7 of 16 disease categories. Maternal characteristics (age, education, marital status, parity, rural residence and Northern residence) partly explained the risk elevations, but maternal chronic illnesses and gestational complications had negligible influence overall. Acute bronchiolitis (risk difference v. non-Indigenous infants, First Nations 37.0 per 1000, Inuit 39.6 per 1000) and pneumonia (risk difference v. non-Indigenous infants, First Nations 41.2 per 1000, Inuit 61.3 per 1000) were the 2 leading causes of excess hospitalizations in Indigenous infants.

INTERPRETATION:

First Nations and Inuit infants had substantially elevated burdens of hospitalizations as a result of diseases of multiple systems. The findings identify substantial unmet needs in disease prevention and medical care for Indigenous infants.

President highlights AMA influence

AMA President Dr Michael Gannon opened the 2017 National Conference lauding the political influence of the organisation he leads.

He told delegates that the past 12 months had been eventful and had resulted in numerous achievements in health policy.

“The AMA is a key player in Federal politics in Canberra. The range of issues we deal with every day is extensive,” Dr Gannon said.