
Statement from AMA (NSW) president Dr Kathryn Austin
January 15, 2025
Statement from AMA (NSW) president Dr Kathryn Austin
February 5, 2025It is very concerning to read commentary in the media regarding proposed radical reform of the NSW mental health system which would see highly skilled doctors replaced by other staff.
Psychiatrists spend 12 years in medical training to become specialists and are uniquely skilled at treating complex and debilitating acute and chronic mental health disorders.
Healthcare is a collaborative space where doctors work closely with nurses, allied health staff and social workers, but every staff member plays a vital role in the treatment and recovery chain, and any suggestion psychiatrists are superfluous to a patient’s needs is derogatory and dangerous.
Psychiatry is not the only specialty feeling the pain of an under-funded and under-resourced public health system. NSW Health is currently experiencing a systemic crisis with staff struggling to meet demand across the board.
Real reform involves supporting our highly skilled medical workforce with appropriate funding and resources to deliver high level, safe care to the people of NSW.
This damaging rhetoric and devaluation of medical professionals must cease. Patients deserve better.
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