Statement from the Australian Medical Association (WA)

Executive Director of the AMA (WA) Mr Paul Boyatzis has announced his intention to retire later this year, AMA (WA) President Dr Omar Khorshid said today.

“Mr Boyatzis has held the positon for more than 30 years and has transformed the AMA from a small organisation with limited resources to one of the largest and most influential membership-based organisations in Australia.

“The impact of Mr Boyatzis on health in WA and nationally has been extraordinary over three decades.

“Mr Boyatzis was the recipient of the AMA (WA) President’s Award in 2018 and on that occasion we were able to reflect on his incredible record of achievement over 30 year. He is an Honorary Member of the AMA (WA) and stands as a giant of the medical profession, despite him not being a doctor.”

A recruitment process has begun and Mr Boyatzis has agreed to stay on in the role until a replacement is appointed.

“On behalf of the members, Council and Board of the AMA (WA) I would like to thank Mr Boyatzis for the commitment, dedication and passion that he has brought to the Association and for his 30 years of service to the medical profession and to health in WA,” Dr Khorshid said.

Peel Health funding not enough

The news that the Federal Government will spend $25 million on an upgrade of Peel Health Campus is little more than a drop in the ocean and will do nothing to resolve the serious issues at the hospital.

“The funding announcement offers little hope of any significant improvement in the serious issues at Peel Health Campus and in reality is a slap in the face for medical professionals, patients and the local community as a whole,” AMA (WA) President Dr Omar Khorshid said.

AMA (WA) President, Dr Omar Khorshid, joined Oliver Peterson on 6PR to discuss the issue. 

Listen to the radio segment online now or read the AMA (WA) media release online.  

Palliative care plan critical

The AMA (WA) has been strongly involved in the debate around end-of-life care over the past year and will continue to do so as the discussion in the community and in parliamentary continues this year.

The AMA (WA) has called for the debate to focus on palliative and end-of-life care rather than the narrow issue of assisted dying.

We look forward to the release of the Taskforce report but it is critical that the State government develop and release a fully funded implementation plan for palliative care as soon as possible and well before the introduction of any draft Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) legislation into parliament.

Failure to do so will risk lives being ended due to a lack of accessible and quality palliative care.

The reality is that a safe VAD regime will apply to approximately 1% of deaths, that it cannot be provided ethically to a patient who is demented or delirious and that the tools and laws required for most deaths to be free from excessive suffering exist now.

For most of us, it is good end-of-life planning and decision making, and access to good palliative care that we need.

Interns, you're invited to the 2019 AMA (WA) Intern Sundowner!

The AMA (WA) invites medical interns to the annual Intern Sundowner – the perfect opportunity to catch up with colleagues while enjoying drinks and canapés.

There will be prize giveaways on the night as well as the opportunity to meet the AMA (WA) staff that are working to help Doctors in the WA health system.

If you have not received your invitation, please contact Skye Connor via email​ or phone 08 9273 3028.

Date: Tuesday 26 February
Time: 6.00pm - 8.30pm 
Venue: Acqua Viva on the Swan
RSVP: Please RSVP by Tuesday 19 February

Please note, the sundowner is an invite only event for medical interns.  

2019 Your Voice in Health employee engagement survey

The Minister for Health will be inviting staff to participate in the 2019 Your Voice in Health employee engagement survey.

The 2019 survey will be the first in a series of five, and is particularly important, as it will provide a benchmark for measuring the performance of health service entities over the next five years. Research consultancy, ORC International has been appointed as the independent provider to conduct an annual survey of Western Australian health system staff. The survey will measure staff engagement and support proactive strategies for future workplace planning. The initiative will enable staff to better communicate what works well, identify issues in the workplace and ensure their health and wellbeing is looked after.

The survey will be confidential and provides staff the opportunity to freely express their opinions and share their experiences. The survey will help identify areas of need and ensure Health Service Providers are able to respond to and address any emerging issues.

The survey runs from 5 March until 31 March 2019 and should take no more than 15 minutes to complete.

AMA Medical Products Launch ‘Nimble’ Storage Solutions for Medical

One of the major problems that medical centre staff face pretty much on a daily basis is Not Having Enough Storage Space! The good news is AMA Medical Products have teamed up with a manufacturer called Nimble to solve this dilemma.

You may not heard of them yet?? Allow us to introduce – Nimble –Storage Solutions for Medical Centres. 

To continue reading, visit the AMA Medical Products website.

Eating Disorders | EDFA Carer Clinician Workshop Series

Thursday 7 March | 8.30am - 4.00pm 

Temperament-Based Therapy with Supports (TBT-S – previously known as NEW FED TR) is a new treatment approach focused on integrating cutting edge information about the brain-basis of eating disorders into treatment.

Join Dr Laura Hill, Dr Stephanie Knatz-Peck and Dr Christina Wierenga, the founders of TBT-S, as they discuss the new evidence informed multi-family treatment  for patients 16 and over with Anorexia Nervosa (AN).

For further information or to register, visit the EDFA website. 

Changes to HBF health cover in response to the reforms to private health insurance

As you may be aware, the Australian Government passed legislation to help simplify health insurance. All health funds must restructure their products as a result of these reforms.

The reforms include the introduction of a new tiered system for naming and categorizing hospital insurance products: The Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic system.

In response to these reforms, HBF are making some changes to their members’ health cover. These include:

- Changes to some product names, which are effective now
- Some services removed from Bronze Hospital Plus and Silver Hospital covers, which will be effective from 1 April 2019

If you would like to find out more about the reforms in general, as well as how they may affect HBF members, visit the HBF website. 

WA Cervical Cancer Prevention Program update

The self-collection component of the National Cervical Screening Program aims to improve participation in cervical screening by providing an alternative collection process for asymptomatic women who are under-screened or never screened. Currently, self-collection (i.e. collection of a vaginal swab for HPV testing) is available to all women residing in Australia who are at least 30 years old, are under-screened (four years or more since last Pap test) or have never been screened, and decline a practitioner collected specimen.

Self-collection is not suitable if a patient:

• is pregnant, or thinks they might be pregnant
• is symptomatic (experiencing unusual bleeding, pain or discharge), or
• was exposed to diethyl-stilboestrol (DES) in utero.

To continue reading, visit the AMA (WA) website. 

General Practitioner Job | Kalamunda

AMA Recruit are currently seeking General Practitioners for regular weekend sessions in a long established practice in Kalamunda. 

• The practice has excellent facilities, especially treatment and procedure rooms
• High levels of nursing and reception support
• Regular - fully subscribed - half and full day sessions available on Saturday and Sunday

For further information or to apply, please visit the AMA Recruit website.

Alternatively, for more information on this or other upcoming work opportunities, please contact Dave Bell at AMA Recruit on 9273 3096 or dave.bell@amawa.com.au.

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