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Australian Medical Association

Phone: 02 6270 5400

Address: 42 Macquarie Street 2600 Barton, Canberra

Website: https://ama.com.au

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24.01.2022 An interim decision to make nicotine for use in e-cigarettes available in Australia, but only with a doctor’s prescription, will help make vaping products harder to access, AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said today. The evidence that vaping is effective as a quit smoking aid is inconclusive, but there is plenty of evidence that it causes harm. Multiple studies show that vaping can lead to previous non-smokers taking up tobacco smoking and that people using vaping as a quit a...id are significantly more likely to still be vaping after a year than people using nicotine patches or other therapies. The proposed change will stop people accessing nicotine for any use without a prescription, and will ensure that patients see their doctor for advice on the most reliable and safe smoking cessation methods.' Dr Khorshid said. You can read the full media release on our website.

24.01.2022 Many of the recommendations from the Counsel Assisting the Aged Care Royal Commission back the AMA’s long-standing calls for a complete overhaul of the aged care system. For too long, older Australians have been left without enough nurses and trained staff to care for them, in conditions that often could most kindly be described as unsatisfactory, and in a system that discourages ongoing care from their family doctor. You can read the full statement from the AMA here https://ama.com.au//complete-overhaul-aged-care-system-nee

23.01.2022 A proposal to scrap GP mental health treatment plans and replace them with an online assessment tool would undermine the holistic approach needed to care for patients with mental health concerns, AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said today. The proposal is among the recommendations of the Productivity Commission’s long-awaited Mental Health Inquiry Report, which calls for a $2.6 billion overhaul of the system, estimating the total cost of poor mental health and suicide to be as... much as $70 billion per year. The AMA welcomes the report’s aspirations for a person-centred mental health care system, focusing on prevention and early help both early in life and early in illness, Dr Khorshid said. But we cannot accept recommendations that take away support for GPs at a time when the burden of mental illness is growing. The report highlights the fact that GPs are the first port of call for Australians seeking mental health support, with one in five Australians having a mental health consultation with their GP every year, and a satisfaction rate of more than 80 per cent. Yet it offers little in the way of extra support, other than the introduction of a Medicare item for GPs to get advice from a psychiatrist about a patient in their care." Dr Khorshid said. You can read the full release on our website.

22.01.2022 Restriction fatigue, falling numbers of infections and mixed government messaging all appear to be contributing to people becoming complacent, resulting in the significant drop in COVID testing across many parts of the country. There is no doubt that people are becoming more complacent as restrictions ease and governments aim for ‘COVID-normal’ by Christmas, AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said. We must accept that until there is an effective vaccine, we must live with rest...rictions and remain COVID-cautious. People who do not get tested or delay getting tested for a few days after symptoms set in are putting their families, friends, and colleagues at risk. COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease that can spread rapidly. COVID-19 symptoms include a dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache, loss of taste or smell, and other flu-like symptoms.

19.01.2022 A new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found that Australians are not spending enough time being physically active. AMA President, Dr Omar Khorshid said that the report is concerning but not surprising and highlights the need for action on a national preventive health strategy. You can read the full media release here https://ama.com.au//new-physical-activity-report-highlight

16.01.2022 Federal AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid has commended the Federal Government’s $16 billion COVID-19 health response and further stimulus spending aimed at fending off a COVID-19 recession. Sound decisions have been made. The Government has retained its commitment to enrolling patients in General Practice by preserving $448 million for the deferred patient enrolment program. Minister Hunt has committed to an actuarial review of private health reform proposals outlined in the A...MA’s Prescription for Private Health Report. Beyond these modest measures, the Budget has left most other challenges in health care for another day. You can read the full media release on our website.

16.01.2022 The AMA has today released its fifth Report Card on private health insurance - designed to assist consumers by highlighting the differences in insurance policies. https://ama.com.au//more-reforms-private-health-insurance-

15.01.2022 It is estimated that 8,500 more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will develop acute rheumatic fever or RHD by 2031, with children most at risk. We cannot sit back and let this happen This is a unique opportunity to close the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health by committing to a comprehensive, long-term, strategy to eliminate RHD in Australia.

15.01.2022 AMA members are invited to join a webinar hosted by Dr Khorshid, and featuring Australian of the Year and AMA Member, Dr James Muecke, and Australian New Zealand Obesity Society President, Jane Martin, on how to prevent type two diabetes and obesity. In Sugar Blinded, on Thursday 19 November at 7.30pm AEDT, Dr Muecke, an Adelaide based ophthalmologist, will outline how curbing sugar intake can prevent diabetic-related blindness. As a prelude to a longer term AMA obesity... reduction campaign, AMA members are invited to hear how government and the food and retail industries can each help prevent poor health outcomes from metabolic syndrome. AMA members are invited to hear how government and food and retail industries can each help prevent poor health outcomes from metabolic syndrome, and how they can be part of the campaign. AMA member can register here https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iXUmnTh_Qj2-3-Sd_1UURw

15.01.2022 The AMA supports all Australians who want to quit smoking. The effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a cessation aid has not been proven, and this debate in the community is being pushed by Big Tobacco, whose whole business model is based on keeping people addicted to nicotine. Young Australians will be protected by the interim decision of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to ensure that e-cigarettes and vaping fluids containing nicotine are only available on prescriptio...n. Australia is a world leader in reducing smoking harm. We need to keep it that way.

14.01.2022 2020 has tested the mettle of all Australians. From bushfires to COVID-19 it has been a tough year for all of us. It’s really important we stay connected with family and friends particularly when things get difficult. It is one of our best defences against mental health illness. If you feel you need support with your mental health, or just need to check in with how you're feeling, your general practitioner is a great first step. If you need more urgent assistance, confidenti...al support is available through Lifeline 13 11 14 Doctors experiencing mental health issues can access support through drs4drs.com.au #COVID19 #YouAreNotAlone #WorldMentalHealthDay

14.01.2022 Ten major employers have signed up to a City of Melbourne CEO pledge to return at least 70 per cent of their workforce back to the CBD as soon as public health restrictions are eased, but AMA President, Dr Omar Khorshid says it is too soon for a mass return to workplaces and public transport. While infection numbers generally give us cause for optimism, the South Australian outbreak this week shows that the virus is still in the community, Dr Khorshid said. The only way to... keep these numbers low is to continue to follow the habits that have proven so effective in getting Australia to such an enviable position. Efforts by government to significantly ease restrictions, combined with the relaxation of work-from-home directives, will significantly increase the rate of contact and movement in the community and make Australia less resilient in times when outbreaks occur. Encouraging people to return to the workplace will put an added strain on our public transport systems, where social distancing is not possible, he said. Working from home minimises the possibility of workplace transmission, reduces the geographic spread of the virus and makes our public transport systems safer. This helps to protect workers in essential industries, as well as those who are not in a position to work from home. You can read the full release on our website https://ama.com.au//working-home-must-remain-central-covid

11.01.2022 On International Day of Older Persons, and the anniversary of the launch of the AMA and Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s ‘Care Can’t Wait’ aged care campaign, we are repeating our call for immediate action. Today the AMA is launching two new Position Statements focused on adequate care provision for our older people, to help guide and inform Government policy. You can read the full media release and both position statements on our website.

11.01.2022 In an effort to humanise patient care, staff at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona are taking recovering COVID-19 patients to the seaside.

10.01.2022 The AMA has called for certainty for the more than 1000 future Australian GPs whose futures have been thrown into doubt by the cancellation of this weekend’s national RACGP Registrar exams, due to technical difficulties. The cancellation, which has caused severe distress, inconvenience and uncertainty for GP Registrars and the practices supporting them, dominated discussion at today’s meeting of the AMA Council of General Practice. 2020 has already been a year of terrible uncertainty for medical trainees due to COVID-19. A technology failure leading to exam cancellations at the last minute is the last thing that GP Registrars needed, AMA President, Dr Omar Khorshid, said today.

09.01.2022 Tomorrow will see most private health insurers raise premiums. These premium hikes will cause more people to give up their insurance, and put more pressure on our already heavily burdened public hospital system. We must find a way to keep private health insurance affordable for all.

08.01.2022 We've seen different strategies adopted by different States and Territories, with differing results. What we need to see now is national leadership, that ensures that all Australians understand the challenges that we are facing as a nation, and one single strategy that will lead us all out of this pandemic. This is how we get back to normal.

02.01.2022 AMA President, Dr Omar Khorshid, and Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Federal Secretary, Annie Butler, have written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison to express their concerns about the ongoing impact of the pandemic on aged care residents and staff. You can read the letter on our website.