Category: Australian Medical Association

‘Problem for All Health Ministers’: Australia’s Peak Medical Body Calls for Urgent Public System Overhaul

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has called for an urgent overhaul of the nation’s public health system following a report that found hospital performance to be at its lowest level since the 90s. Bed availability, emergency wait times, “planned” surgery wait times and access to specialists in the public health system were among the performance…


Doctors Criticise Victorian Government’s Plan to Allow Pharmacists to Prescribe Drug

Medical professionals have criticised the Victorian government’s new election promise to permit pharmacists in the Australian state to prescribe antibiotics and refill prescriptions due to the risks of increasing antibiotic resistance and misdiagnoses. In a recent re-election pitch, Premier Daniel Andrews announced that the Labor government would spend $19 million (US$12.8 million) on a 12-month…


Australian Federal Government Poised to Reduce Prescription Costs

The Albanese government has tabled a bill to cut the maximum cost of medical prescriptions by more than A$10 (US$6.82)  The scheme aims to make medicines cheaper by cutting prescriptions covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) by 30 percent, with the maximum general co-payment dropping from $42.50 to $30. The federal government estimated the…


Medical Experts Call for Greater Regulation in Cosmetic Surgery

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) have called for greater regulation into cosmetic surgery following announcements of commissioned reviews into the industry. “The recent reports of patients who’ve suffered due to poor quality practices in the cosmetic surgery industry have been disturbing to say the least—clearly greater regulation…


Australia’s Waiting List for Non-Essential Surgeries ‘Growing and Increasingly Critical’: Experts

The Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) are urging the government to immediately address the “growing and increasingly critical” backlog of elective surgeries, pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The call comes as the new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data shows Australia are waiting longer than…


Australian Telehealth Services Restored to Meet Pandemic Demands

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) announced that telehealth consultations would be restored temporarily to meet healthcare demands during the Omicron outbreak. AMA President Omar Khorshid said in a media release that Health Minister Greg Hunt and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg had endorsed the AMA’s proposals on Jan. 16 to restore expanded patient access to telehealth. “The AMA…


Aussies Health at High Risk as COVID pulls the focus on Medical Care: Research

A new national survey of over 13,000 Australians reveals that the health of Aussies is at risk as the pandemic pulls focus towards the more immediate COVID-19 medical care. The research, conducted by a group of experts at Monash University, found that people with symptoms of depression and anxiety, those who performed unpaid work, lived…


Australian Opposition Leader Puts Onus of RAT Supply Issue on PM

Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has blamed Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the federal government for the supply shortage of rapid antigen tests (RAT). It comes after the federal government placed an order for over $60 million RATs to five tenders, each under the condition of “extreme urgency or events unforeseen.” “How is it we have…


Australian Health Experts Split Over Approach to Pandemic Management

A schism has been brewing in Australia’s medical fraternity on how to handle the pandemic best—spilling over into the political realm—with one group pushing for strong measures to smother any potential transmission of COVID-19, and the other calling for society to learn to “live with the virus.” Dr. Nick Coatsworth, a former chief medical officer…


State Hospitals Failing to Reduce Wait Times Despite Lull in Patients During COVID-19: Doctors’ Association

Australians can expect longer wait times when they next visit hospital, even if they need urgent surgery, according to a new report card from Australia’s leading medical union. Dr. Omar Khorshid, president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said that despite a drop in patient volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital system’s performance did…