Australian Medical Association

Discussion: Dr Haikerwal comments on the position of the AMA regarding the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United States of America.

Discussion: Bongiorno says that the AMA have been concerned about the possible effects of the FTA on the PBS. Haikerwal says that the PBS should never have been included on the FTA in the first place. He says Australia's system is so good that many other countries plan to take it up, and big drug companies are displeased about this. Even some US Senators said the PBS should not have been an aspect of the FTA, as health is not a trade issue.

Dr Haikerwal discusses the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson says he is an advocate for doctors, patients and a better health system in Australia.

AMA Vice President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, responds to the report from Monash University on its findings on the employment of overseas trained doctors in Australia.

Interview with AMA Vice President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, on Sky News, Thursday 24 June 2004 Discussion: Proposed Labor changes to Medicare Card

"Under the current legislation parents are able to access the medical records of children up to 14. Now Tony wants to extend it up to 16 and, for the reason that he feels it's the right of the parent," Dr Glasson said. "He's absolutely right, I mean as a parent myself with a child of 12, and one of 14 and 18, I feel that if my child goes to the doctor without me knowing I'd probably feel as though that I had failed my child because I felt that my communication wasn't good enough. And in a normal family unit, your child won't go off to the doctor without you knowing about it or without you being with your teenager."

"Well, I mean, I don't think there's anything gone wrong. I think the reality out there is that what we said at the outset was that the emergency hormonal contraceptive, or the morning after pill should be available full stop. But obviously, given the fact that often the women say they can't find a doctor on the weekend, and if the female is out in a rural or remote area and they haven't got access to a doctor full stop, they obviously need access to this pill," said Dr Bill Glasson.

"Congratulations, Northern Territory, on being a high achiever, and winning the scoreboard for the second consecutive time," Dr Glasson said. "The Northern Territory has done greater things in just a year. They performed particularly well in the category of regulations on smoking and work-places, tobacco promotion restrictions, and initiatives to address uptake by Indigenous Australians."

"The greatest pressure on our health system at the moment is the pressure on the PBS, which is spiralling out of control," Dr Glasson said. "And I think that any further pressure that the Free Trade Agreement puts on that will simply mean that you and I in the street will be paying more and more for drugs and therefore that will ultimately affect our access to those drugs."