This month, The NSW Doctor asks GPs what they really think about Health Minister Greg Hunt's claim that general practice is being transformed by the thawing of the Medicare rebate freeze, AMA (NSW) challenges Bupa on its plan to change its health insurance policies, and Prof Brad Frankum makes his pitch to be the next Federal AMA President.
PRESIDENT'S WORD A time for strong advocacy The AMA is more relevant than ever as the health system battles the chronic underfunding of primary care and increased pressure on public hospitals. My time as President of AMA (NSW) is rapidly drawing to a close. I have enjoyed the job immensely and am very confident the [...]
FROM THE CEO Fighting for public health Advocating for doctors' interests and those of patients are two sides of the same coin. We can't make Australians care about us, if we don't care about them. This edition marks my 10th year as CEO of AMA (NSW) and, as such, it is inevitable that such an [...]
DIT DIARY The DIT's guide to death While death is a stranger to no one, for doctors it is a more constant companion. Learning to deal with it takes time, experience and, occasionally, the wisdom of others. Our society is not very comfortable discussing death. Nevertheless, on a long enough timeline everyone is affected by [...]
FEATURE A slap in the face Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt's claim that general practice has been "transformed" by the Government's tepid thaw of the Medicare freeze – which will add 55 cents on a standard consult this July – is insulting, insist general practitioners. Last February, Health Minister Greg Hunt appeared on Sky News to [...]
PROFILE Making small changes matter A systems thinker with a passion for general practice, Dr Danielle McMullen continues to push for creative solutions to the complexities facing primary care. Dr Danielle McMullen would make a good CEO. Or potentially a commercial pilot. She'd be equally effective as a courtroom lawyer. Or perhaps an industrial architect? [...]
PROFILE Dr Jaspreet Saini As a general practitioner and Clinical Director of Governance for WentWest, Dr Jaspreet Saini has a multi-focal perspective on primary care. It was the last leg of their family vacation in India. Dr Jaspreet Saini's family was travelling from Punjab to Delhi, where they planned to fly back to Australia. His [...]
FEATURE The fight for choice AMA (NSW) is committed to its campaign against Bupa's health cover changes, which would erode patient choice of doctor and hospital. When Bupa announced policy changes to its Medical Gap Scheme the outcry from the medical profession was swift and vociferous. "This favours people being treated in Bupa-contracted facilities and [...]
FEATURE A vision for healthcare We need to challenge the current narrative on health, says AMA (NSW) Prof Brad Frankum, who is running in the upcoming Federal AMA election for President. Adequate funding for primary care and public hospitals is an investment in our Nation's health, not a budgetary burden. The lack of imagination and [...]
ANALYSIS Could it happen here? The case of UK doctor Hadiza Bawa-Garba has resonated with medical professionals around the world, particularly those in Australia, who work in a similarly stressed health system. Dr Bawa-Garba was a paediatric registrar in the United Kingdom who was convicted of manslaughter following the death of a six-year-old patient. She [...]
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES HR for the new financial year Helen Winklemann, Director of Professional Services THIS YEAR, we’ve again been getting great feedback for our “Employer Essentials” training. This training is free for members (and their practice managers) and available to non-members at a commercial fee. Whenever we run the sessions, we’re reminded how valuable it [...]
The NSW Doctor is the flagship publication of the Australian Medical Association (NSW) Limited. The journal is a prime source of communication with AMA membership providing a forum for medicopolitical debate and informing members of the concerns of contemporary medicine.
The NSW Doctor has a circulation of approximately 8,000, and is published every two months. The journal is distributed exclusively to AMA members, selected media, other organisations and subscribers.
