AMA (WA) President Dr Andrew Miller held a press conference today to discuss COVID concerns in WA and the critical need to be better prepared following the recent NSW outbreak.

With thousands flooding into WA from NSW this week, we have long queues of people waiting to be tested at public hospitals. Poor communication means visitors from NSW do not realise that they can avoid the queues by attending private clinics where testing is free and no pathology request form is required.

While Dr Miller commended the WA Government for responding quickly to the unfolding situation in NSW, he stressed the State should be better prepared for a possible COVID outbreak and testing.

"It is disappointing to be getting to December in this pandemic and we are still having to argue with the Government about appropriate PPE for COVID clinics," Dr Miller said. 

"We need respiratory level PPE for suspected or confirmed COVID treatment. That's not the standard yet in Australia... Australia has not yet completed its homework."

Dr Miller also stressed the importance of the Federal Government making a considered decision about a COVID vaccine rather than locking in the first available option.

AMA (WA) President Dr Andrew Miller spoke to ABC Pilbara radio about the need to be prepared for any possible outbreak of COVID-19. He urged everyone in the Pilbara who has a cold or a flu to get tested for COVID. The Pilbara gets international traffic from ships, and it’s possible COVID could get into the community this way.

The message to people in the Pilbara is to keep up social distancing, have a mask at the ready, and get tested if they have any respiratory symptoms.

After a tumultuous year, AMA (WA) members and well-wishers had a ball at our End-of-Year Soiree at The Old Pickle Factory. It was a chance for guests to mingle, celebrate the medical profession, and enjoy a live cooking demonstration by MasterChef star Brendan Pang.

Congratulations to the winners of the AMA (WA) awards.

Dr Vaanitha Manickavasagar was named the 2020 AMA (WA) Junior Doctor of the Year (Dr Camille Michener Legacy Award). Dr Manickavasagar is a General Paediatric Fellow at Perth Children’s Hospital and was honoured for her work in doctor wellbeing and leadership during COVID-19. 

Congratulations also to the finalists in this category for their outstanding work and achievements.

GP Dr Olga Ward and fellow GP and Sports Medicine Physician Dr Rod Moore received prestigious AMA (WA) Hippocrates Awards. Both doctors were honoured for their unwavering commitment to the profession of medicine and their dedicated service to patients and the broader community.

June Oscar AO, a proud Bunuba woman, received the AMA (WA) President’s award for her pioneering work in Indigenous health and wellbeing, and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. 

General Practice is a cornerstone of healthcare, and requires a well-trained workforce. The AMA has updated its Vision Statement for General Practice Training to put greater focus on the need to attract more doctors into the GP training program. GP trainees often takes a cut in conditions and pay, and this needs to be addressed to attract sufficient doctors.

The AMA is advocating for more resources in GP training to attract adequate numbers of doctors to meet future community needs.

The AMA (WA) wishes you a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy year ahead.

We are closed from Friday 25 December 2020 and will reopen on Monday 4 January.

For urgent enquiries, please contact mail@amawa.com.au

We are thrilled to announce that Lloyd Diggins is the winner of the 2020 AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship. This program has supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to study medicine since 1994.

Lloyd is a Wongi man, but grew up on Whadjuk Noongar country and Wardandi Noongar countries. Humbled to have been selected as the winner, he wants to see a culture within healthcare where casual racism is not tolerated and Aboriginal staff feel safe and supported.

Applications for the 2021 scholarship close on 31 January 2021.

Congratulations to Dr Kelly Jones who has won a Fitbit Versa 2 for completing a survey on the AMA (WA)'s proposed 2021 medical conference. Thanks also to everyone who took part in the survey.

We are collating the data so we can plan for a conference that meets your needs and brings us all together. In the meantime, Dr Kelly can enjoy her Fitbit!

Recent research commissioned by the Health Department produced a wealth of data on palliative care.

Samar Aoun, Professor of Palliative Care Research at Perron Institute and La Trobe University, led the research. Professor Aoun (pictured) said it was evident from the findings that receiving palliative care provides a much better quality of life for people with life-limiting illnesses. Currently 40 per cent of ill Western Australians receive palliative care and 60 per cent do not receive these services.

The first priority is about making care accessible to everyone, including people in regional areas. One of the key recommendations from the report was to provide better support for family carers who look after the ill person.

There is a new public campaign to inform Western Australians about the dangers of non-fatal strangulation. Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Simone McGurk and Commissioner for Victims of Crime Kati Kraszlan launched the campaign on 10 December. The campaign includes new training tools to educate first responders about the medical impact of non-fatal strangulation.

Emergency physician Dr Michelle Johnston said the data about the impact of non-fatal strangulation on the body was alarming.

"The amount of pressure in a handshake is actually greater than the pressure it takes to block the blood vessels and airway in the neck,” Dr Johnston said. 

The campaign launch marks the end of the State Government’s 16 Days in WA – Stop Violence Against Women campaign.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released a revised version of the Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol. The new recommended limit of standard drinks per week is now 10 (down from 14). The recommendation to limit standard drinks per day to four is unchanged, but the new guidelines stress children under 18 and pregnant women should not drink alcohol at all.

Meanwhile a new study by Curtin University’s National Drug Research Institute casts the alcohol industry in a bad light. The study examined alcohol industry submissions to policy consultations in Australia over a five year period. The study found that 94 per cent of submissions misused or denied scientific evidence.