President’s update: First Minister's meeting, suicide prevention & the Winter Demand Plan
In his latest President’s update, Associate Professor Peter Subramaniam provides an update on his first meeting with the new Health Minister, highlights the critical role of GPs in suicide prevention, and invites member feedback on SA Health’s Winter Demand Plan.
I was pleased to meet the new Health and Wellbeing Minister, Blair Boyer, at his Hindmarsh Square office on Tuesday. The Minister acknowledges he has much to learn about his new portfolio, but says he also believes that fresh eyes in any role can be extremely valuable.
He is looking forward to ‘a productive working relationship (with AMA SA) where we achieve things together’. Our initial conversation covered timely challenges including mental health in regional areas, elective surgery and outpatient waiting lists, and the efficiency of the public health system, while I noted there will be issues on which we will disagree, such as the expansion of pharmacy prescribing and payroll tax. With a commitment from the Minister to monthly meetings, I look forward to a constructive constructive working relationship with the Minister and the government.
Mental health and the role of GPs
The issue of mental health has featured in the media, and sadly we know the toll reaches beyond the tragic cases which reach the headlines.
In 2024, 3,307 Australians died by suicide. Three in four were men, with those aged 40 to 44 accounting for the largest number of deaths. In regional South Australia, the picture is even more stark. Suicide rates in remote and very remote areas are two to three times higher than in our cities. It’s clear the men at greatest risk are often those living furthest from the full range of medical services.
As I indicated to the Minister, general practice remains our most powerful tool in preventing suicide. GPs provide lifelong care and build trusted relationships. For some men, they are the only doctor they will ever see on a regular basis, and that places them in a unique position to identify risk early. Governments, at both state and national levels, have a responsibility to ensure GPs have the time and system support to deliver unhurried care, ask the right questions, identify risk, and access additional training where they choose to do so. Advocating for this support remains a priority.
Winter Demand Plan
Last week, SA Health released its 2026 Winter Demand Plan, and AMA SA welcomes its intent to prepare for predictable seasonal pressures. The focus on expanded bed capacity, transition and virtual care, private hospital partnerships, and community‑level immunisation is encouraging and reflects many of the issues we have consistently raised with the government.
We’re keen to hear your views on the plan. Your feedback will help shape how AMA SA engages with Government and SA Health as we advocate for effective implementation, clear performance measures, and meaningful outcomes.
A fond farewell
I would like to extend my best wishes to AMA SA member and Chief Medical Officer Professor Mike Cusack, who is leaving the role after more than six years. During his time as CMO, Mike played a critical role in helping lead SA Health’s response to the COVID‑19 pandemic and consistently made himself available to meet with me and other AMA SA representatives. I appreciated his willingness to listen to, respect and engage with the views of our members. We wish him every success in his next endeavours.
A new chapter
Speaking of new chapters, on behalf of AMA SA, I wish to acknowledge the retirement of Dr Roger Sexton AM – a colleague whose quiet, sustained dedication to doctors’ health has left a mark on this profession that will long outlast any formal role.
Roger’s contribution spans more than a quarter of a century: from the pioneering Dr DOC program he helped establish for rural South Australian doctors in 1999, to his co‑founding of Doctors’ Health SA in 2010, to the establishment of Doctors’ Health NT in 2016, to his chairmanship of the Australasian Doctors’ Health Network.
At a time when doctors’ health was rarely discussed and even more rarely acted upon, Roger understood – from his years as a rural procedural GP, as a Medical Board member, and as someone who had seen the human cost of an unwell medical workforce – that the health of the doctor is inseparable from the safety of the patient.
Roger’s inclusion in the AMA Roll of Fellows in 2022 and the AM he received in the 2023 Australia Day Honours List were richly deserved. The profession has been fortunate to count him as its champion, and every doctor and medical student in South Australia who has been cared for with discretion, compassion and without judgement through the service he built is the truest measure of what he has given.
We wish him a well‑earned retirement from this role and thank him sincerely.
- You can contact me at president@amasa.org.au