Australian Medical Association

Food provides our bodies with the energy, protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals to live, grow and function properly.  Concerning trends have been observed in the eating habits of many Australians and the implications are serious. The National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) Draft Australian Dietary Guidelines 2011 provides population level guidance on healthy eating patterns and related guidance for health professionals.  

The AMA's Submission highlights that a range of measures is needed to improve nutritional literacy, including education on energy needs and portion sizes, improved food labelling, and affordable access to healthy food options.  The AMA Submission also identifies a need for practical resources aimed at medical practitioners including access to a database of locally available supports such dieticians, healthy cooking classes and walking groups.

An increasing number of Australians are at a high risk of serious disease and premature death because of excess body weight or obesity. The National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) Clinical Guidelines on the Management of Overweight and Obesity is an important resource for medical practitioners who identify and support patients who are overweight and obese.  Medical practitioners also play a preventive role in identifying those patients who are at risk of becoming overweight, particularly children and young people.  

The AMA believes that a key challenge is to ensure that the Clinical Guidelines are practical and easy for medical practitioners to adopt as part of their clinical practice.  The AMA's Submission highlights the key role of medical practitioners in preventing overweight and obesity, particularly among children and young people, as well as providing support to those patients who wish to lose or maintain their current body weight.  The AMA Submission advocates around the development (with appropriate consultation) of practical resources, such as short term eating plans, evidence summaries, multi media videos and fact sheets that can support medical practitioners and patients in this area.

AMA President Dr Steven Hambleton said tonight that the government had done the right thing by sparing health from broad funding cuts to provide a budget for tough economic times and to fund a budget surplus.

“Health has generally been sheltered from the budget cuts,” Dr Hambleton said.

The AMA has reviewed the Government’s Draft Ten Year Roadmap for National Mental Health Reform (the Roadmap) and is pleased to see that some of the directions set out in the plan incorporate elements of the AMA Position Statement on Mental Health 2011, in particular those Roadmap actions related to reducing stigma and discrimination, increasing access to early intervention and support and improving accessibility of mental health and support services. The AMA has nevertheless critiqued the Government on funding cuts to the Better Access Program (as this action does not match the policy intent outlined in the Roadmap to improve provision of mental health and support services to those who need them) and for failing to adequately recognise the vital and increasing role that GPs play in caring for patients with a mental health issue and their families. The AMA comments also highlighted the importance of specifically targeted programs for special needs groups, and the need to develop measures to address systemic barriers to mental health services.

National Minimum Terms and Conditions for GP Registrars - revised November 2011

The 2010 agreement has been updated and contains the rates which apply from the start of the 2012 training year.

AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that the Government’s Coordinated Veterans’ Care (CVC) program will help reduce avoidable hospital admissions in veterans with chronic and complex diseases.

Dr Hambleton said that the AMA welcomes the CVC program’s comprehensive approach to the management of chronic and complex diseases.

“One of the greatest challenges in caring for older people is ensuring that their care needs are well supported and coordinated,” Dr Hambleton said.

AMA FAMILY DOCTOR WEEK 2011: AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that Government plans to overhaul funding for after hours GP services could leave some practices without the necessary support to continue providing vital after hours care to their local communities.

Dr Hambleton said that funding to fill service delivery gaps is welcome, but this must not be at the expense of services that are already available.

“The Government’s decision does not guarantee that those practices currently delivering quality after hours services will be properly supported to do this once the Government’s plan to move funding to Medicare Locals is fully implemented,” Dr Hambleton said.

AMA FAMILY DOCTOR WEEK 2011: The AMA today urged all governments to recognise the importance of family doctors in caring for communities in natural disasters and other crises, and to work with the medical profession to involve GPs in disaster planning arrangements.

AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, today paid tribute to the family doctors who provided assistance to Australians affected by natural disasters earlier this year, and said their experiences showed that family doctors are often the first people Australians turn to in crises.

“The role of GPs in emergency response situations is not well understood by governments, and GPs have not had enough input into disaster planning,” Dr Hambleton said.

AMA Family Doctor Week 2011 – a celebration of the central role played by local family doctors in delivering high quality health care in local communities all around Australia – commences tomorrow.

The theme for this year’s Family Doctor Week is Your Family Doctor: Excellence in Health Care.

AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that family doctors are highly trained and highly skilled to provide excellent health care to people through all stages of life.

“Maintaining regular contact with a trusted GP is good for our health and the health of our families,” Dr Hambleton said.

The AMA today launched an online petition as part of its campaign to convince the Government to restore funding for GP mental health services through Medicare under the Better Access Program.

The Government slashed more than $400 million from the Program in the May Budget.

AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that, from November, Medicare patient rebates for GP mental health services will be cut by 50 per cent.