AMA (NSW) Welcomes New President and Vice President

The Australian Medical Association (NSW) welcomes incoming President Dr Kathryn Austin and Vice President Dr Fred Betros.

Dr Kathryn Austin steps into the position after two years as Vice-President of AMA (NSW). Dr Austin is an obstetrician, gynaecologist, and maternal-fetal medicine specialist. As a staff specialist at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital Dr Austin treats the sickest and most critical cases from Sydney’s north and from all over the state. Dr Austin is a director of a private obstetric practice and VMO at North Shore private hospital. Dr Austin is the fourth female president in AMA (NSW) history and the first female specialist to hold the position.

“I am proud to have the opportunity to represent the doctors of New South Wales. At a time when budget cuts have made life harder than ever for the state’s hard-working doctors, representation has never been more important.” Dr Austin said.

“My main priority is the fight to ensure that our health system has the resources it needs to provide excellent care to patients. Doctors are increasingly being asked to do more with less which is making it incredibly tough to meet patient needs.

“Our health system is like a house of cards. Most of the time that house of cards is stable simply because the goodwill of the treating professionals. But you see when those holes in the system line up, how incredibly fragile it is, and how demanding it is for those workers on the front line to try and provide that care needed by a patient. It is just so incredibly challenging to do that in the current circumstances.” Dr Austin said.

Dr Austin has been an AMA (NSW) Councillor since 2018 and Board member and Director since 2020. She was a Director on the Federal AMA Board from 2014 – 15.

In 2015 she was awarded the prestigious AMA (NSW) President’s Award for her service to the medical profession.

Dr Austin is passionate about maternal and child health and recently sat on the Board of Directors of the Gidget Foundation, which supports families experiencing perinatal depression and anxiety.

She has a strong passion for equity in leadership. 

“We need to empower women to pursue leadership positions and address the barriers that prevent them from participating in leadership in public, private, and corporate healthcare. An equitable system across health leadership promotes excellence in patient care.” Dr Austin said.

Dr Austin is joined on the leadership team by Dr Fred Betros. Dr Betros is a Western Sydney general surgeon who provides surgical services in both the public and private sectors. Dr Betros has been on AMA (NSW) Council in a Surgeon Class capacity and a board member since 2016. From 2016 – 2018 he was the Chair of the AMA (NSW) Hospital Practice Committee.

He is a former Head of Department for General Surgery at Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals. He is a lecturer at the University of Notre Dame where he has won clinical teacher of the year six times.

Dr Betros has been a vocal campaigner for the protection and enhancement of working conditions for both junior and senior doctors.

“We continue to see under-resourcing in many areas of our public system, significant barriers to timely patient access of health care, and emergency caseloads in our hospitals that far outstrip capacity.

“Doctors are being pushed to breaking point. It is imperative we fight to assist our colleagues not only in hospitals but throughout the health system. Doctors in training, General Practitioners and non-GP specialists deserve to work in a system where they feel supported to provide the very best for the patients of NSW.” Dr Betros said.

Dr Betros has been an outspoken advocate of the rights of Visiting Medical Officers (VMOs), “The services VMOs provide are highly significant, particularly in regional and rural areas of NSW. They are already on edge. In many of these environments VMOs work under conditions of high clinical pressure with very little additional support. They provide essential care to their communities and are the cornerstone of services that are already spread incredibly thin.”

“There is a dire shortage as VMOs are drawn away from the public system due to the poor working environment and disrespect. The flow on effect is a worsening of delays in elective surgery.”

Contact: +61 419 402 955 | news@amansw.com.au