President's Update: National cabinet showdown, medical misinformation crisis and AMA26 launch offer last chance
Happy Friday! I’ve always got mixed emotions this week — it’s nice to have another short week, but it always feels like the last one for a while. Easter seems so far away!
I’d like to open by congratulating the many AMA members who were recognised for their outstanding service and contribution to medicine and patients in this year’s Australia Day Honours. Thank you for your incredible service. I know there are many more wonderful doctors out there and I encourage you to nominate a friend or colleague who you think has made an outstanding contribution.
Today national cabinet meets to try and secure a last-ditch public hospital funding deal. Many are sceptical as to whether a deal will be done, but Australia can’t wait. Meaningful discussions about how to optimise hospital care, the intersections between community and hospital, and how to really innovate just haven’t happened while they’ve spent years arguing about basic continuity funding. It’s time for the PM and premiers to sit down, hammer out a deal to back the health system so doctors are adequately resourced to get on with their jobs of delivering safe and timely care for patients.
We have a detailed costed plan for our public hospitals focused on four key
areas — improving performance, expanding capacity, addressing avoidable admissions and increasing funding to lift our hospitals out of logjam. Let's hope there’s some good news this afternoon.
Another issue plaguing doctors’ clinics (if yours is anything like mine) is medical misinformation. The AI fakes, the fearmongering reels, and the concerning withdrawal from public health measures including vaccination in the US all fuel a growing unease in the public and undermine trust in evidence-based medicine. This Sunday night on 7News I’ll be part of a group of health leaders calling out the misinformation and encouraging the public to carry a healthy dose of scepticism when scrolling online, and to always fact-check with their usual GP.
Doctors are uniquely placed to help stem the tide of mis/disinformation. We are trusted voices with our patients and in our communities and we play a pivotal role in protecting families, strengthening communities and saving lives. I invite you all to lean in when someone asks a question, acknowledge the grain of truth that some of this information is based in, but help them see the complete picture and make a considered decision about their health. We can also share positive health messages on social media to help combat the misinformation. If you’d like us to host a member webinar on combatting misinformation, or how to engage on social media, let me know and I’ll see what we can do!
Or better yet, come and talk to me about it in person!! Our annual conference AMA26 is coming up soon in Melbourne (August 28–29). This your LAST CHANCE to get a SUPER EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT. A whopping 40 per cent off! This ends tomorrow! So book and save now to catch up with colleagues, engage in discussions on the prickliest issues in medicine right now, and to see fantastic speakers like Jelena Dokic, Michael Kidd and international speaker Dr Graham Walker who created The Physicians’ Charter for Responsible AI (and MedCalc!!).
Have a great weekend!