AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen provides an update on the past week at Federal AMA.
Hello and Happy Friday! Can you believe it's December?
I was in Sydney late last week with the AMA Board and we were delighted to be invited to the AMA NSW End-of-Year Function in Australian Museum's Minerals Gallery. The minerals weren't the only rock stars on hand, as I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with AMA NSW Board and council members and a stellar array of doctors from the state. It was great to catch up on the year and some of the big wins from AMA NSW, with some really exciting work in the VMO space. Having come through the ranks of AMA NSW it was a treat to catch up with old friends and a pleasure to make some new ones. I am always blown away by the enthusiasm of our members to build a better system - people like Dr Lan-Hoa Le with her determination improve doctors' health, Dr Kim Loo and her dedication to a sustainable health system and climate adaptation, and Prof Smita Shah who introduced me to her work in high school peer-led health education. Nights like this really help to celebrate the many achievements of our colleagues and remind me why the AMA is such an important family.
This week began with a meeting of the Climate Health Expert Advisory Group (CHEAG), a Ministerial-level advisory group chaired by the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney MP. It is so important that climate change be recognised as the health emergency it is, and vital that we as doctors are in place to advise on myriad aspects of the climate-health nexus. In this meeting we looked at progress in areas of the health sector's preparedness and resilience for dealing with climate change, the health sector's efforts to decarbonise, and the ongoing support for an Australian Centre for Disease Control.
Women's health has had a lot of attention in the media this week, and we've been engaging with journalists on this issue as we have much to say on this. Media attention on the gender-bias in healthcare does shine an uncomfortable light on some of the issues women face when trying to access care, but this should not make us turn inward or away from these issues. We need to acknowledge failings of the system and work constructively to address them.
At the AMA we believe the health system must provide access to comprehensive care that addresses the specific needs of women at different stages of life, including preventive screening, reproductive healthcare, and support for healthy aging. Medical practitioners must be supported to deliver the best possible medical care for women including through appropriate training, education and funding. We are active as a member of the National Women's Health Advisory Council, providing advice to the government on priority health issues for women and girls in Australia, and a part of the Advancing Women in Healthcare Leadership (AWHL) Partnership. Expect to hear more on women's healthcare in 2025.
This week also saw the release of the 2024 Medical Training Survey (MTS) results. The survey included responses from almost 25,000 trainee doctors, and I was deeply alarmed that one third of trainees reported having experienced and/or witnessed bullying, discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and/or racism. Even worse, more than half of our Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander trainee colleagues experienced or witnessed these abhorrent behaviours in the workplace. This is unacceptable and must stop. We all deserve to work in safe and respectful workplaces, and it's important for patient care that we do. As the AMA we call upon all training institutions and employers to adopt and implement the Every Doctor, Every Setting framework (EDES) as a step towards safe workplaces. The evidence is clear, the framework is written - it's time to implement. The onus is on all of us to shift the culture and make sure we attract and care for the diversity of doctors needed to provide culturally appropriate care for our patients. I'm so glad we have a meeting of the National Leadership Alliance (stewards of the EDES framework) on Friday, so we can further push this action.
Some uncomfortable and confronting news this week, but it is important we face these issues head-on and ensure our workforce and our patients are enabled and supported to be in the best shape possible.
I look forward to updating you again next week, and I hope the week ahead is kind to you all.
