President’s update: health ministers announced, primary care meetings, and a week to highlight palliative care

Hello, and happy Friday!

As the dust settles in the wake of the federal election we now have ministerial announcements from the government, and I am very pleased to congratulate Mark Butler on his reappointment as the Minister for Health and Ageing. Minister Butler's experience and knowledge in the portfolio ensure some well-needed continuity in carrying out the reforms needed in the healthcare system.

I'd also like to congratulate Sam Rae, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, and Rebecca White, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health and Assistant Minister for Women, and Emma McBride, Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health and Assistant Minister for Mental Health (and a fellow Central Coastie).

It would be remiss of me to not note the Coalition has elected its first ever woman leader this week, and my congratulations go out to Sussan Ley as the Leader of the Opposition. As a former Minister for Health, and one with a keen interest in the pressing issue of antimicrobial resistance, I hope she brings a strong health focus to the Opposition's policy priorities.

I look forward to catching up with the Health Minister soon, and continuing to work with all parties to advocate for the best healthcare policies for our patients and for you, our members.

Our AMA Public Health Committee met on Monday night and we had some great discussions on active transport and the benefits to health and to the environment — thanks to AMA Queensland for raising this subject! We also continued work on updating our women’s health position statement, and there was plenty of discussion about immunisation as we speed head-first into the flu season. I spoke to Channel 7’s Sunrise audience on Tuesday morning to tell the public about the dangers of the horror flu season ahead, especially with the relatively low rates of flu vaccination we’re seeing at the moment. So, consider this a reminder for you and your patients… get that flu shot!

A big event this week was the National Council of Primary Care Doctors (NCPCD) meeting. The NCPCD brings together Australia’s peak GP bodies, and we continue to unpack the many reviews of past years, coming together to make sure we have a united front on the pressing issues faced by primary care doctors. To this end, we spent a lot of time discussing rural general practice, as well as the scope of practice review, and how to best support a multidisciplinary workforce in general practice.

An important initiative identified some time back by Federal Council was the need for the AMA to develop a reconciliation action plan (RAP), and I am very happy to say we have established a RAP working group with representatives from Federal Council as well as the AMA Board and staff members from around the country. We had the privilege this week of a half-day workshop with the Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) on building cultural competency as an initial educational session to ensure our working group are up to speed on some fundamental matters of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s history and culture. While this is only just the very initial stage of our RAP, I can honestly say the session itself was a real eye-opener and I want to thank Terri from the KHT for her generosity of time and sharing her experiences.

This Saturday is the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). IDAHOBIT stands as a day to recognise the great advances in LGBTQIASB+ healthcare, while also noting members of the LGBTQIASB+ community are still unfairly marginalised in some areas of society. As members of the healthcare profession, we recognise LGBTQIASB+ patients still face barriers to accessible and inclusive healthcare. Accessible, inclusive and safe healthcare is a right, and that’s why we welcomed the National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ people last December as an important step towards improving the health and wellbeing of the LGBTQIASB+ community. IDAHOBIT is a good opportunity to remind governments of the importance of putting that plan into action.

Finally, this week is also National Palliative Care Week. I want to give a shoutout to our palliative care doctors who offer so much to patients and their loved ones by ensuring the absolute best is made available to them during such difficult times. I am truly in awe at the doctors who provide this care, and I must also highlight our DiTs who are entering palliative care as a career — thank you so much for all you provide.

On that I will wrap up, and I look forward to updating you all again next Friday.