Scrapped pharmacy screening deal welcomed

The decision by a major healthcare company to cancel its plan to be involved in pharmacy-based screening programs was due in a major way to a push against the move by the Australian Medical Association (WA).

“It is clear that the withdrawal by Sonic from the Amcal Pharmacy screening program is the result of concerns raised by many in the medical community, in particular the AMA," AMA (WA) President Dr Khorshid said.

"This matter was recently raised by the AMA (WA) Council a few days ago when a motion was passed condemning the plan,” he said. 

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AMA (WA) GP members recognised

The AMA (WA) is delighted to announce that three AMA (WA) members have been honoured in the annual RACGP Awards.

Announced by AMA (WA) Council Member and RACGP Chair Dr Tim Koh, 2017's WA General Practitioner of the Year was Wembley Downs GP Dr David Oldham. 

Dr Oldham has played a significant role in the WA Doctors' Health Advisory Service (DHAS) and is the current DHAS Convenor.

He has worked tirelessly with DHAS to promote better health among all doctors throughout their careers. This work includes encouraging doctors to find their own GP, reducing “self-doctoring “ and helping GPs develop skills in caring for other doctors.

AMA (WA) member Dr Sarah Newman was named GP Registrar of the year, while Dr Neda Meshgin's Canning Vale Medical Centre won GP Practice of the year.

The winners will be formally acknowledged at the RACGP WA Fellowship and Awards Ceremony in October. 

The Noisy Guts Project – get involved

The Noisy Guts Project is the brainchild of Nobel Laureate, Prof Barry Marshall. His team are developing an acoustic belt that records gut noises over time so doctors can accurately screen, diagnose and monitor gut disorders and diseases. The team are seeking volunteers and a new PhD student to enable them to progress with this project.

There is existing data to show strong correlations between abdominal sound characteristics and gut disorders. However, the team needs additional sound recordings to generate more powerful algorithms for use in the belt. The bowel sound data will be combined with physiological data, collected using EDAN vital signs monitors supplied by the AMA Medical Products division, to better characterise the conditions.

The team has a study planned that will provide this much needed data and urgently needs volunteers with a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Volunteers are asked to visit the Marshall Centre at UWA, and sit back and relax in one or their comfortable armchairs whilst wearing the belt. Recordings are for around two and a half hours.

The team is also currently recruiting a PhD student with either a clinical or biomedical science background to join the team. There is a top-up scholarship available for an outstanding candidate to start in 2018. The deadline for applications is early August 2017.

For more information, please click here. 

Looking for a home or business loan? Let the AMA find you the right lender!

AMA Financial Services has teamed up with Nexus Partners to provide members with direct access to experienced lenders across a number of banks.

Clients will gain direct access to a financial expert from the bank who can assist with all aspects home loans, business loans and asset finance. 

For more information, please click here. 

AMA Family Doctor Week 2017

The AMA Family Doctor Week highlights the role of GPs – our family doctors – and their value to the community and the health system as they deliver high-quality holistic health care.

Family Doctor Week will run from Sunday 23 July to Saturday 29 July 2017. The theme for this year’s event is Your family doctor: all about you.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says Australia has one of the best health systems in the world. Its strength stems from general practice and the pivotal role of the general practitioner. GPs are the first port of call when Australians feel unwell, and GPs manage 90 per cent of the problems they encounter.

To find out how you can get involved with Family Doctor Week, please click here. 

Scholarship opportunity with the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia

Through the efforts of many volunteers, the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia has established a scholarship to enable medically trained candidates with a special interest in mesothelioma to undertake PhD research under the supervision of Professor Anna Nowak and team.

The scholarship provides a full-time stipend of $60,000 per annum; a research maintenance/operating allowance of $15,000 per annum; and a $5000 travel/conference allowance.

Please note this scholarship may be awarded before the closing date if a suitable applicant is identified by the supervisors of the research project.

For more details and to register your interest, please click here. 

Accessing unapproved medicines and devices for your patients – what’s changed?

It’s now easier for doctors to access unapproved therapeutic goods for patients who need them.

The government schemes which allow doctors to access unapproved therapeutic goods, such as medicines, biologicals and medical devices that haven’t been approved in Australia, have been simplified and streamlined.

Most therapeutic goods need to be evaluated for quality, safety and efficacy by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) before they can be supplied in Australia.

However, sometimes patients can benefit from therapeutic goods that have not been approved by the TGA. For example, there may be medicines that have been approved for use in other countries but not yet in Australia, or a manufacturer may not offer a particular device in Australia.

For more details, please click here. 

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