Statement from AMA (NSW) president Dr Kathryn Austin

We acknowledge recent reports in the Australian newspaper regarding doctors under pressure in NSW public hospitals.

As a staff specialist, I am acutely aware of the strain our staff are under to meet an ever-increasing demand for services. We must ask how long we can continue losing dedicated doctors who have had enough of working in an over-stretched, under-valued system.

The NSW Government has effectively cut hospital budgets and the Federal Government must commit to funding 50 per cent of NSW public hospital activity, rather than its current 37 per cent, and properly support general practice, aged care and care for those with disability.

Outdated industrial arrangements continue to be a critical factor in the discontent felt across the system. It is impossible to feel valued when your work is paid less that in other states. All parties should move forward with arbitration as a matter of urgency to address the importance of doctors in our health system.

NSW Health must also do more to safeguard those working in the system.

In our submission to the Special Commission of Inquiry into Healthcare Funding, we called for the Ministry to have oversight of investigations conducted by local health districts to ensure they are fair, managed appropriately and completed in a timely fashion.

I want to acknowledge the incredible work all our doctors do in caring for patients and their families every day. Let’s continue working together to build a better, stronger health system for all.