Federal AMA Pre-Budget Submission calls for strong investment in health

The AMA is urging the Government to use the May Budget to invest strongly in the future of the Australian health system to meet growing and changing demand from an ageing population and a surge in chronic and complex conditions, which is afflicting more and more Australians.

Federal AMA President, Professor Brian Owler, said this week that the Government must put a stop to its policies of funding cuts and program cuts, and instead invest heavily in the health system, making public hospitals, primary care, and prevention the centrepiece of its election-year Budget.

“The first steps in the next Health Budget must be to lift the Medicare patient rebate freeze, reverse the cuts to pathology and radiology, and restore public hospital funding to proper levels. The Government cannot be allowed to retreat from its responsibilities in funding and managing the core elements of health care delivery in Australia,” Professor Owler said.

He added that Australia’s health spending is not out of control, as claimed by the Government to justify its savage 2014 and 2015 health Budgets, with total health expenditure reducing as a percentage of the total Commonwealth Budget from 18.09 per cent in the 2006-07 Budget to 15.97 per cent of the total in the 2015-16 Budget.

To view the AMA Pre-Budget Submission 2016-2017, please click here. 

MBS review in progress

The AMA recently convened its second meeting of medical profession leaders to discuss the progress of, and concerns about, the MBS Review.

Federal AMA President Professor Brian Owler said all in attendance wanted to achieve an MBS that reflected modern medical practice, and which benefited patients, but warned delays in listing new MBS items to replace scrapped items could create an incomplete Schedule, with serious implications for patient care.

Professor Owler said it was clear that the Government was aiming to make savings from the MBS Review. He said that where savings could be made without adversely affecting patient access to services or clinical practice, they would have AMA support, but it was vital that any savings be reinvested in health.

For more information, please click here

AMA (WA) 2016 Clinical Conference

Following the very successful 2015 conference to South Africa, the AMA (WA) is pleased to confirm that the 2016 AMA (WA) Clinical Conference will this year be held in Boston and Washington DC, with a post conference tour of New York.

For those who have travelled with the AMA before you will already know that our conferences are highly regarded and that there is a significant element of trust in what we do. 

The clinical component of the conference is well underway and is being developed in collaboration with the Harvard University Medical School.

The conference will take place from 8 October - 21 October, with four nights in Boston, three nights in Washington DC and an optional four nights in New York.

The formal part of the conference will be in Boston although we are extending part of the clinical conference to include Washington DC. We fully expect that some of you may want to spend a few more days in NY or seek to travel to other destinations in the US.

For more information and to register a formal expression of interest, please see the attached form and return it to Skye Connor via email.

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Covering the expenses associated with the defence, and sometimes pursuit, of legal representations, it includes:
 

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Updates to WA Health's Couldihaveit website

WA Health’s couldihaveit website has recently been updated and is giving young people access to STI information and STI testing. The new website features a contemporary design, eye-catching graphics and interactive features which appeal to young people.

Couldihaveit includes the following features:

Take a free test: an online self-risk assessment which produces a downloadable pathology test form for users who may be at risk of an STI

Find a clinic: assists people in finding a sexual health clinic and/or Pathwest centre near them

Any Questions?: An opportunity for users to submit a sexual health related question and have it answered by a health professional

The website is easy to navigate on a mobile device and all features (including the take a free test) are mobile friendly. So scroll through the site, share the video and promote it to young people across WA.

Visit www.couldihaveit.com.au.

New Hepatitis C treatments from 1 March 2016

A number of new medicines will be made available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from 1 March 2016 for the treatment of all adult patients with chronic hepatitis C infection. GPs will be able to prescribe these medicines in, or following, consultation with a specialist physician.

This prescribing flexibility has been introduced to facilitate a greater role for primary care in the treatment of hepatitis C over time.

The medicines are daclatasvir (Daklinza®); ledipasvir with sofosbuvir (Harvoni®); sofosbuvir (Sovaldi®) and ribavirin (Ibavyr®).  The PBS listing for peginterferon alfa-2a (&) ribavirin (Pegasys RBV®) will also be amended to allow its use in combination with sofosbuvir.

For more information as well as a factsheet for patients and consumers, please click here. 

$1500 Cashback offer from CommBank when you switch your home loan

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