Australian Medical Association

Dr Kerryn Phelps, AMA President, Joanne Murray, Commonwealth Bank & AMA Youth Health Advocate; Associate Professor Susan Sawyer, Deputy Director of the Centre for Adolescent Health, Victoria; Terri, Young consumer of health services PHELPS: Thank you for joining us here today. We have a very important youth health summit occurring today in Canberra, and I'm pleased to say that we have representatives here from over 30 key groups who are passionately interested in the issues faci

LIEBMANN: To medical news now, and some new findings from a recent British study on bowel cancer. It found that limiting screening to higher risk groups was likely to result in up to 85 per cent of cases being overlooked. Well, joining us now is our Health Editor, Dr Phelps joins us in the studio now. Good morning to you. PHELPS: Good morning, Steve. LIEBMANN: What do you make of this study? Does it have any relevance to what we're doing in Australia? PHELPS: Well, I think

The AMA will host the National Youth Health Summit 2001 this Thursday, 26 July 2001, at AMA House, Canberra, from 9.30am. Delegates will be officially welcomed to the Summit by AMA President, Dr Kerryn Phelps. Keynote speakers at the Summit are Professor Graham Martin, Director, Australian Early Intervention Network for Mental Health; Associate Professor Susan Sawyer, Deputy Director, Centre for Adolescent Health Victoria; Julie Tongs, CEO, Winnunga Nimmityjah Abori

AMA Federal President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, has written to Federal and State Health Ministers calling for a strategy to address the systemic causes of unsafe rostering and work practices for junior doctors in the public hospital system. Dr Phelps said the urgent need for a national strategy was confirmed by the findings of the final report of the AMA's Safe Hours Campaign Risk Assessment of Junior Doctor Rosters which was released today. The report contains data on over 400 deta

HINCH: Now I heard the Breakfast program this morning. I disagreed with Cathy actually, Cathy Bedford, when she was she made light of the fact that she said, 'what's the big deal about wanting to have double beds in nursing homes, surely there are more important things about nursing home conditions than that?'. I'm paraphrasing her here, but she sort of said, well, people of that age, why do they need double beds anyway, they're too old for sex. I thought to myself, haven't you

GPs say the best part about being a family doctor is being able to provide continuity of care for patients. An AMA Family Doctor Week poll asked 900 Australian GPs to rate six aspects of their job working hours, remuneration, their role in the local community, the variety of their work, continuity of care, and being the first point of contact for patients. Seventy per cent of respondents nominated their capacity to provide 'good continuity of patient care' as one of the top two

SATTLER: Sex in a single bed is a fairly uncomfortable experience. Well, that's my experience of it in a single bed, even if you are young and fit. So how much more difficult would it be for the elderly, especially those with physical restrictions? That is part of the criticism being levelled at the proprietors of aged care facilities by the Australian Medical Association, which is planning to stage an aged care summit later this year. It plans to raise that subject there. Its F

RICHARDSON: Kerryn Phelps, the head of the Federal AMA has touched on a very important, and in some ways a very sad issue. And that's keeping couples together once they get into nursing homes. And, she speaks to the National Press Club and she asks how often do you see a double bed in a nursing home? She says separate beds for the aged is inhumane and the separation of couples should be investigated by the Human Rights Commission. She must have hit on something because to quote t

GRIMSHAW: At the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday, Australian Medical Association President, Dr Kerry Phelps, suggested a wide-ranging Federal Election wish list. And she gave particular attention to the aged care sector, which she described as being in a state of despair and disrepair. She announced that the AMA would set up an Aged Care Summit later this year and called for an overhaul of accreditation standards and commitments to minimum staffing levels. To discuss the

"Musings of a militant trade unionist" Welcome, comrades. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It is a pleasure to be here at the National Press Club in Family Doctor Week. I have titled my speech today 'Musings of a militant trade unionist' because it is one of many sobriquets bestowed upon me during my time as Federal AMA President. It is also one of the most polite. I have this philosophy that the best way to deal with name-calling is to define the term and, if the cap

Transcript of Q&A, National Press Club, Federal President of the AMA, Dr Kerryn Phelps Wednesday 18 July 2001, Canberra QUESTION: You did not mention the issue that has caused a bit of friction between yourself and the government in recent times, and that is cholesterol-lowering drugs. Dr PHELPS: Apart from the low fat seafood meal at the meeting. QUESTION: The new guidelines for the prescription of cholesterol lowering drugs have now been formalised, which seem to put more obl

Radio ABC 666 2CN with Chris Uhlmann, Canberra. UHLMANN: Now it would be an understatement to say that it's been an eventful year so far for the head of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Kerryn Phelps. Among the many issues she's addressed, the one getting most coverage this year has been her head-to-head clash with the Federal Health Minister. That appears to have settled for the moment, but the AMA is still on the attack, this time over the government's no-gap private he

In an address to the National Press Club in Canberra today, AMA Federal President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, said that Australian health policy should be elevated above the argy-bargy of party politics and given 'national treasure' status. Dr Phelps said it is time to stop the petty point-scoring between parties, between the States and the Commonwealth, and between one State and another over the health dollar. "Health policy should be about the most practical approach to saving lives and

Deaths from Australia's most common cancer bowel cancer could be significantly reduced if widespread screening was introduced for everyone aged over 50. Speaking at the launch today of an AMA Family Doctor Week cancer detection brochure, AMA Victoria President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, called on the Federal Government to fast track pilot programs to ensure bowel cancer screening could begin as soon as possible. Bowel cancer kills more than 4,600 people in Australia every year.

JONES: An endangered species is the family doctor. In Australia, there are 23,000 practising general practitioners 90 per cent of us visit, at least, once a year. But in the last couple of years, we've seen nothing but all out attack on the medical profession and on doctors. And, as a result, a growing trend towards the corporatisation of general practice in other words, the local GP disappearing, and in their place come these massive medical centres. You couldn't blame GPs

AMA President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, said today that a report in The Australian newspaper reveals a disturbing double standard adopted by the health fund industry in regard to product quality and price. Dr Phelps said the newspaper discloses details of a planned consumer guide to buying healthcover and reports claims that the health insurance industry wanted to delete information on the level of cover and the price range of the various private health cover products. "What good is a c

GPs are being recruited in a national campaign to educate patients on good nutrition and help reduce rates of childhood obesity through new food labels. The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) will this month send information to doctors* on new national food labelling laws, which were approved by health ministers late last year. The new nutrition panels will make clear to consumers the levels of saturated fats, total fats, protein, energy, sugar and carbohydrates, as well

Dr Kerryn Phelps, AMA President, and Associate Professor Louise Baur, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney DR PHELPS: Good morning everyone. Thank you for coming. Today we are launching AMA Family Doctor Week and the key message of Family Doctor Week is the important role of the general practitioner in the community. The key message for today is the alarming incidence of childhood obesity in the Australian community. In the 1960s only three per cent of Australian childre

AMA Federal President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, today called on Australian parents to take a more 'hands-on' role in reducing childhood obesity - in consultation with their family doctor. Speaking at the national launch of AMA Family Doctor Week, Dr Phelps said childhood obesity in Australia had tripled in the past 10 years, with 19.5% of boys and 21.1% of girls now overweight or obese*. "One in every five Australian children (seven to 15 year olds) is overweight or obese. Why? Because

AMA Federal President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, will launch Family Doctor Week this Sunday with a warning on the dramatic increase in childhood obesity. Dr Phelps will be joined by Sydney paediatrician, Associate Professor Louise Baur, to highlight the vital role that parents and GPs play in educating families on good health and nutrition. Key media events during Family Doctor Week include: National launch of AMA Family Doctor Week - with AMA Federal President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, and

AMA President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, said today that reports of health fund brochures being labelled as 'confusing crap' were not surprising and support the AMA's view that the 'gap' campaign has been a costly failure. Dr Phelps said that by not properly consulting the medical profession, the health fund industry and the Government had launched a campaign that was doomed to fail. "This has been a costly exercise much of it at taxpayer expense that has not delivered for health fun

SINGER: Now to that story about the Australian Medical Association and its concerns about the 'hospital in the home' program. Dr Gerard Segal is on the line. Good morning. SEGAL: Good morning, Jill. SINGER: Now, could you explain to us, yesterday we were talking about this program and the way it worked in the private sector, and there was a suggestion, certainly that the Epworth Hospital, a private hospital, was managing to get 'hospital in the home' programs into nursing homes and

VALENTINE: We spoke yesterday with a journalist from The Financial Review, Ray Moynihan, who'd written on the relationship between doctors and pharmaceutical companies. What seems to be something of a growing concern to medical practitioners, to their patients, to the community at large, is that the pharmaceutical companies will attempt to enlist the doctors in the marketing and promotion of their particular products. They might do this by having the doctors on the advisory board

LIEBMANN: Now, to a medical problem that affects many women, a lot of women, in fact. It's called endometriosis, and to discuss it now, our Health Editor, Dr Kerryn Phelps. Good morning to you. PHELPS: Good morning, Steve. LIEBMANN: a lot of women. PHELPS: Yes, it does. It's estimated to affect up to one in ten Australian women in their reproductive years. LIEBMANN: And we're not just talking middle age and beyond? It can affect teenage women, as well? PHELPS: Yes,

ROBERTSON: Being from a legal background, I'm intrigued with the legalities of things and I read two items in two different papers referring to the AMA and their chats with the Assistant Treasurer about indemnity insurance which is if someone sues them and how that money should be paid out. You have to read both articles because there's big bits missing out of both and it's all very confusing but interesting. The problem is with medical practitioners and specialists, the whole lo

The dispute between Health Minister Michael Wooldridge and AMA president Kerryn Phelps was settled this week over lunch, and Dr Phelps has dropped her defamation suit. The Minister's apology brings the AMA back to the government's negotiating table but, paradoxically, it's stalled talks between the Health Department and GPs until the AMA can be included. Those talks are about a matter high on the AMA's agenda, Medicare rebates. Dr Phelps is in our Sydney studio this morning. To tal

The AMA today welcomed moves by the Federal Government to increase payments for general practitioners who treat entitled members of the veteran community in rural areas. The new arrangements are part of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Repatriation Commission and the AMA and are designed to ensure veterans in rural areas have access to the best quality health care available. Federal Vice-President of the AMA, Dr Trevor Mudge, said that the initiative would benefit both t

GRIMSHAW: Well, today marks the 10th Anniversary of the death of pioneering heart surgeon, Victor Chang. Dr Chang, of course, set up Australia's first heart transplant program and oversaw the country's first transplant back in February 1984. His work is carried on through the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Unit, and there are many advances still being made in the world of cardio-thoracic surgery and research. To tell us about the latest developments in relation to pacemakers, we're

LIEBMANN: First this morning to that highly publicised and at times bitter feud between the President of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Kerryn Phelps, and Federal Health Minister, Michael Wooldridge. This time yesterday, Dr Phelps remained quite adamant she would go ahead with that plan to sue the Minister over allegations he made about her qualifications. But by late afternoon, the feud had been settled, following a two-hour meeting brought about at the urging of the Prime

Your Doctor Is With You For Life is the theme for this year's Australian Medical Association Family Doctor Week (15-21 July 2001). AMA Federal President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, said Family Doctor Week aimed to highlight the vital role played by Australia's 23,000 practising GPs. "Ninety per cent of the population sees a GP at least once in any one year. GPs are the backbone of our community health system," Dr Phelps said. "Family Doctor Week is about reminding everyone that their local