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MEDIA STATEMENT FROM AMA (NSW) PRESIDENT DR FRED BETROS
I am very pleased to see confirmation that the NSW Government will hold a preventative health summit in Parramatta in October.
As a surgeon in western Sydney, it is clear to me that we must urgently change our thinking on how the health system is managed – and preventative health must be central to any serious health reform agenda because, as all doctors know, failures in early care eventually show up across the whole system.
The NSW Government’s own report, the Special Commission of Inquiry into Healthcare Funding, recommended that preventative health be a whole-of-government priority and embedded in all health initiative decisions.
Justice Richard Beasley requested that the report’s recommendations be implemented within 12 months – that deadline expired four months ago.
Greater investment in preventive health has been one of AMA (NSW)’s key focus points for some time. Our hospitals and emergency departments continue to face sustained pressure.
Too often, gaps in prevention, primary care, chronic disease management and outpatient services mean patients do not receive the care they need until they become acutely unwell and require hospital treatment.
Bringing together doctors, health experts, community organisations and government provides an important opportunity to identify practical and coordinated approaches to improving the health of people across NSW.
I look forward to participating in the summit on behalf of AMA (NSW) and contributing to discussions about how preventive health can improve patients’ lives and relieve pressure across our hospital system.
Media: P: 0419 402 955 E: media@amansw.com.au