President's update: Reconciliation Week, hidden costs of vertical integration, inter-professional collaboration, advocacy, AGM, and more
Happy Friday!
This Wednesday marked the start of National Reconciliation Week (through to 3 June), a time that all of us can pause to reflect on the shared histories and cultures that bring us all together in Australia. Reconciliation is on an ongoing journey, which each of us can have a role to play in.
The AMA is committed to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and I’d like to thank our members who are helping to achieve that by working with Indigenous communities.
It’s also been a week of getting the AMA out there on a huge range of other issues!
On Wednesday I joined the Australian Private Hospital Association conference in Adelaide. There was really good discussion about private hospital viability, private health insurance value, out of pocket costs, and I was on a panel about the ‘Hidden costs of vertical integration’.
It was a fantastic opportunity to talk about the challenges doctors already face with coercive contracting, or difficulty with insurer payments (e.g. for type C procedures). But also, to highlight the risks ahead if our system continues to allow large, for-profit corporations, including private health insurers, to buy up health services without oversight. While they insist they aren’t permitted to “direct” clinical care, they can certainly curate environments which steer consumers down a path of restricted choice and access. Patient choice and clinical autonomy must remain central tenets of our private health system. To achieve that, we think there does need to be a private health system authority to oversee design and fit-for-purpose regulation from a health access, quality and outcomes perspective. We have one of the world’s best systems — we need to protect it.
I also joined the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) GP Pharmacist Symposium on the Gold Coast. Our panel focused on inter‑professional collaboration in general practice, with leaders from across medicine, nursing and pharmacy coming together to discuss what high‑functioning multidisciplinary care could and should look like in practice. We all agreed on the importance of embedding pharmacists in GP‑led teams with clear clinical governance, noting the strong evidence that this approach improves medication safety, supports better coordinated care, and strengthens outcomes for patients.
In the media this week, Julian worked hard talking with the media about maintaining the trust and integrity of sunscreens. Julian spoke about our submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which argues that reliability, clarity, and transparency must sit at the heart of sunscreen regulation to ensure Australians can trust the products they rely on every day.
This week we also called out the shockingly late responses of government to the gambling and diabetes parliamentary committee reports. Not only did they take their time, but the responses were released on budget day. We highlighted this tactic and the inadequate responses.
Last night we had our Annual General Meeting, and I was struck by the strength, resilience and unity of the Australian medical profession. We were tested this year but ultimately what’s been reaffirmed is that the AMA is a strong, authoritative, evidence-based voice for doctors and patients.
One of the most rewarding parts of last year for me was reconnecting with doctors and members across the country. Through our CAS meeting and roadshows in the NT, WA and Queensland I heard directly from doctors on the pressures they face — from workforce shortages to hospital overcrowding to the realities of rural practice.
These conversations grounded our federal advocacy and reminded us that the AMA’s strength comes from our members. Thank you to all of you!
Our Federal Council meets tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to robust discussions about the issues facing all of us. I’ll provide you with more of an update next week.
