President’s Update – Health Debate countdown, the pre-election drip-feed and nWCH planning
In his latest President’s update, A/Prof Peter Subramaniam highlights a pivotal pre election moment for AMA SA, from the Health Debate to major policy positions on vital infrastructure, regional specialist care and clinician involvement in planning the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
It’s a busy and exciting time for AMA SA as we prepare for ‘The Health Debate’ – the only dedicated pre‑election health debate where we doctors get to directly question Health Minister Chris Picton and his Opposition counterpart, Heidi Girolamo.
This free, members‑only event will take place at the Capri Theatre on 11 February. It’s less than two weeks away, and places are filling quickly.
We’ve asked you, our members, to help shape the conversation by submitting your questions. We’ve received many thoughtful and pertinent contributions on issues including payroll tax, scope creep, and gaps in mental health and aged care, to name just a few. These topics will help guide the discussion on the night. Some members will have the opportunity to ask their questions from the floor.
Places are limited, so if you haven’t already, I encourage you to book now to avoid disappointment.
This is a rare opportunity to sit in the room with those who will shape health policy for the next four years and beyond, and to measure their commitments against your own expectations.
Election announcements
The drip‑feed of health policy announcements from both major parties continues. AMA SA has been active in responding through the media, assessing these policies against our election platform and against the experiences and expertise of our members.
Recent notable policies we have responded to include Labor’s proposal to increase financial support for regional patients and their families travelling to Adelaide for specialist care, and the Liberal Party’s commitment to keep the existing Women’s and Children’s Hospital in public hands as part of a broader health precinct. You can read our responses below.
Read our response to Labor’s announcement
Read our response to Liberal’s announcement
This week, we also released another key element of our own platform: the need for a hybrid operating theatre (HOT) at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
As I told ABC Mornings host Rory McClaren live on air on Tuesday morning, a HOT is critical infrastructure for South Australia’s only Level One Adult Trauma Centre. The absence of this capability at the RAH is no longer a future‑planning issue; it is a current and unacceptable system risk. When clinicians are not equipped with the infrastructure and technology required to perform their roles, patient safety is compromised and efficiency across the system suffers.
New WCH design
Another issue we have been and will continue raising in the lead‑up to the election is the importance of genuine clinician involvement in the design of the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital (nWCH).
On Tuesday, AMA SA CEO Simon Jones and I met with the CEO of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Network, Rebecca Graham. While there appears to have been progress in inpatient planning, significant gaps remain, particularly in outpatient design, mental health bed configuration and models of care closer to home. I encouraged Ms Graham to keep AMA SA informed and engaged to ensure clinician involvement meaningfully informs co‑design throughout all design phases.
Regional specialist support
Last week, during one of my regular visits to Berri, I had the opportunity to catch up with resident general surgeon Dr Chetan Pradhan, who also represents Public Hospital Doctors on AMA SA Council. We discussed the ongoing challenges regional health hubs face in attracting and retaining general and specialist surgeons.
AMA SA is calling on all sides of politics to introduce incentives for both resident specialists and visiting specialists to work in regional areas and to invest in the infrastructure and workforce needed to expand capacity and capability in regional hubs. These measures would support specialists to maintain a regular regional presence, enabling patients to access new consultations locally, have their investigations done and care reviewed closer to home, and to receive follow‑up care after surgery or treatment in Adelaide.
We’ll have more to say on this in the lead-up to polling day.
Australia Day Honours
Finally, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to three doctors with longstanding ties to AMA SA who were recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours List.
- Dr Leon Pitchon AM – Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to medicine as a plastic surgeon, and to the arts through philanthropy.
- A/Prof Robert Bauze AM – Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to orthopaedics and trauma care as a clinician and administrator.
- Dr Bill Gransbury OAM – Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community of Angaston.
All three doctors exemplify the very best of our profession through their dedication to patients, the profession and the broader community. AMA SA is richer for their longstanding affiliation with our organisation.