Australian Medical Association

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the AMA is calling on the Senate to pass the National Preventative Health Agency Bill during this fortnight’s Parliamentary sitting period.

Dr Pesce said the National Preventative Health Agency would set a national strategic approach to prevention and promote healthier lifestyles by advising and making recommendations to governments on preventative health.

“It is important that this Bill is passed as soon as possible to put momentum back into the prevention focus in Australia,” Dr Pesce said.

Doctors, particularly General Practitioners, provide preventative care to their patients on a regular basis. Doctors also coordinate the preventative care that patients need from other health care professionals, and promote health and prevention in the broader community. The AMA position statement "Doctors and Preventative Care 2010" describe these important aspects of a doctor's role.

The AMA is supportive of evidence-based guidelines for the prevention and control of infection that are appropriate for the level of risk applicable to the various healthcare settings.

A national approach must be sufficiently flexible to accommodate the relative risks. The AMA is not in support of an approach where healthcare providers are required to implement infection control guidelines that are beyond the level of risk that occurs in a particular healthcare setting, are not practical to implement, and/or for which there is no evidence to justify adherence to the guideline.

It’s the season to be jolly, but the AMA is reminding people that it is also the season to be sun smart to reduce the risk of skin cancer.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said many people look forward to spending time at the beach or taking part in other outdoor activities over the holiday period, following their family gatherings at Christmas.

“It’s easy to get carried away with the festivities at this time of year, but it’s important that Australians remember to slip, slop, slap, seek shade and slide on sunglasses to protect themselves from harmful UV exposure,” Dr Pesce said.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, today said the creation of the National Preventative Health Agency was an important first step towards reducing preventable chronic diseases in Australia.

Dr Pesce said the AMA urges all Senators to support the Australian National Preventative Health Agency Bill, which has already been passed by the House of Representatives.

“A growing number of Australians are at high risk of serious diseases and premature death due to excess weight, smoking and alcohol use,” Dr Pesce said.

“The proposed National Preventative Health Agency is a significant first step in a strategic national approach to reducing preventable chronic diseases.”

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the AMA supports a national strategic approach to prevention as set out in the report of the National Preventative Health Taskforce.

Dr Pesce said that doctors have been actively involved in providing preventive healthcare and advice for smoking, alcohol abuse and excess weight for a long time, and will continue to do so, but they will need greater support in providing prevention plans for patients to meet the targets set by the Taskforce.

“The AMA advocates a comprehensive package of preventive measures to be coordinated by doctors, and general practitioners in particular,” Dr Pesce said.

The growing number of Australians at risk of serious chronic diseases from obesity, smoking and excess alcohol use is a major health challenge facing Australia. This AMA Policy Brief, Preventing Obesity, Smoking and Excess Alcohol Use, summarises some key measures that the AMA believes should be given priority in a National Preventative Health Strategy, including support for the preventative role of doctors and implementation of a number of targeted community-level measures.

The AMA has made a submission to the Department of Health and Ageing in response to the report released by DoHA on the outcomes of the Point of Care Testing (PoCT) trial in general practice.

This submission responds to the options for prevention of obesity, smoking and harmful alcohol use that are explored in the National Preventative Health Taskforce discussion paper - Australia: The Healthiest Country by 2020. The submission emphasises the crucial role of doctors in providing preventative health care.