Media release

AMA National Conference delegates condemn new medical school, and call for action on asylum seeker health

AMA National Conference 2015 – Urgency Motions

Delegates to the AMA National Conference 2015 in Brisbane late yesterday unanimously passed two Urgency Motions and a Motion with Notice.

The first Urgency Motion relates to the decision to fund a new medical school at Curtin University in WA. The second Urgency Motion relates to the health of asylum seekers. The Motion with Notice relates to protection from prosecution for doctors who disclose, in the public interest, failures in health care delivery in immigration detention centres.

Urgency Motion 1:

That National Conference recognises that many graduating medical students and junior doctors around Australia are currently unable to find quality training positions due to a lack of available places. National Conference condemns the Government's decision to fund a new medical school when there is already evidence that some medical graduates will be unable to progress to full specialist qualification and that this decision will only make this problem much worse. National Conference calls on Federal Council to:

·         continue to strongly advocate for the commitment to a new medical school to be reconsidered;

·         call for State and Federal Governments to collaborate to ensure robust health workforce planning through the National Medical Training Advisory Network so that medical workforce numbers are matched to community need; and

·         requests that the Health Minister seeks the advice of the National Medical Training Advisory Network, as well as the AMA, AMSA, State health departments and the Department of Health as part of any process to consider any further increase in medical student numbers.

Urgency Motion 2:

Pursuant to existing AMA policy, “The Health of Asylum Seekers 2011”, National Conference requests Federal Council to review its policy as a matter of urgency. The review should particularly note new evidence of ongoing and permanent damage being inflicted on detainees as a consequence of the 19 July 2013 Law.

Motion with notice:

That the delegates of AMA National Conference request the AMA Federal Council to call upon the Australian Parliament to amend the Australian Border Protection Act 2015 to provide an exemption (from prosecution) for medical practitioners who disclose, in the public interest, failures in health care delivery in immigration detention centres.

These motions have been referred to the AMA Federal Council.

The AMA will today release a resource to assist doctors to provide support for victims of family violence.

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31 May 2015

 

CONTACT:        Odette Visser                      02 6270 5412 / 0427 209 753 

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