Dr Omar Khorshid - AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship

PRESENTATION OF AMA INDIGENOUS MEDICAL SCHOLARSHIP 2020 
AMA WA 
THURSDAY 10 DECEMBER 2020 
AMA PRESIDENT DR OMAR KHORSHID 

AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship

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I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we meet today, and I pay my respects to their elders, past, present, and emerging. 

One of the most inspiring things about being part of the medical profession is being able to watch new generations of doctors emerge. 

And one of the greatest honours of being the Federal AMA President is being able to present the AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship to the shining stars of those new generations. 

Let me begin with a short history of this scholarship. 

It was established in 1994 with a contribution from the Commonwealth Government, to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians achieve their dream of becoming doctors. 

Over the past quarter of a century, this scholarship has supported 30 Indigenous Australians through medical school. 

Today’s recipient was just four years old when the first scholarship was awarded in 1995 to Marlene Kong. 

In 1996, Marlene and her twin sister, Marilyn, became the first Indigenous people to graduate with a medical degree from Sydney University. 

In 1997, Marlene and Marilyn’s younger brother, Kelvin, won the scholarship. 

He went on to become Associate Professor Kelvin Kong, Australia’s first Aboriginal surgeon. 

By 2009, when The Lancet ran a profile of Marlene, these three remarkable siblings accounted for 2.5 per cent of Australia’s 125 Indigenous doctors, and a photograph of them was in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection. 

I am proud that the AMA helped a little in starting their distinguished medical careers. 

We have come a long way since 2009 – but not far enough. 

We have four times as many Indigenous doctors – about 600 across the nation. That’s about 0.5 per cent of the medical workforce. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 3 per cent of the Australian population. 

So, just to reach population parity, we need about 3000 more Indigenous doctors. 

At the start of this year, 404 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students were enrolled in universities across Australia. 

That’s about 2.7 per cent of domestic medical students. 

These are slight improvements on past years, but much more needs to be done if we are to grow the Indigenous medical workforce, and provide the culturally appropriate care that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians need and deserve. 

We know that Indigenous patients do better when they are treated in a culturally appropriate setting, with doctors and other healthcare staff who speak their language, understand their culture, and are sensitive to their needs. 

They are more likely to keep appointments and seek care earlier if they are confident that their healthcare workers understand and empathise with them. 

Yet, far too often, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors and healthcare workers have been dissuaded from combining their culture with their care. 

Conscious or unconscious racism within the health system has adversely affected Indigenous doctors and patients alike. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are over-represented in our healthcare system and, despite years of reports and reviews, the gap in life expectancy and health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is still disgraceful. 

Closing the gap requires real action from all levels of Government, the private and corporate sectors, and all segments of our community. 

I mentioned before that this Scholarship began with a grant from the Government. 

It has been bolstered over the years by generous contributions from universities, foundations, and private philanthropists – rich, and not so rich – but all motivated by the burning ambition to build a strong Indigenous workforce. 

Donations are very welcome – and tax-deductible. You can go to the AMA website for details on how to donate. 

Now, with the ad out of the way, to this year’s recipient – Mr Lloyd Diggins. 

I won’t tell you too much of his story – I’ll leave that to Lloyd. 

But he is a proud young Wongi man, who grew up on Whadjuk and Wardandi Noongar countries here in Western Australia. 

Lloyd’s first passion was physiotherapy, and he graduated with Honours from the University of Notre Dame Australia in 2015. 

But a move to Arnhem Land set him on a new career path – to become a GP. 

He returned to Perth and enrolled in medical school, again at Notre Dame, where his dedication to both his studies and his Aboriginal community has impressed the staff and students alike. 

His referees for this scholarship all speak of a hardworking, popular, and respectful young man, who uses his initiative to provide excellent care for his patients and support for staff. 

They speak of a dedicated health professional, who continues to work many shifts as a physiotherapist at various hospitals to support himself through his studies. 

They talk about his excellent communication skills and wonderful professional persona. 

One says, and I quote: 

Lloyd has a real gift in making those around him feel listened to and valued; he is an exceptional young man and will make an exceptional doctor, not only in Aboriginal health but with all peoples. 

Perhaps the most remarkable tribute to Lloyd comes from the clinical nurse in charge of the State Major Trauma Unit last Christmas. 

On Boxing Day, the nurse was caring for an Indigenous patient with a ruptured spleen – a woman who had been the victim of an assault.  

Her treatment required strict bed rest until the trauma team could be satisfied that she was at no further risk of internal bleeding. 

About midday, the patient became very agitated at being inside, and insisted on leaving the hospital. 

Lloyd was busy with another patient at the time, but came over to assist the nursing staff. 

He gently calmed the woman down, and, in time, she returned to bed. 

In the words of the clinical nurse in charge: 

Lloyd was a wonderful physiotherapist and human being on the days that I had the privilege to work beside him. I can honestly say that he not only provided an amazing service to Royal Perth Hospital, but he most likely saved the life of one of my patients. 

This one episode of care underlines the importance of cultural understanding, respect, and compassion – and how they can be best provided by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves. 

This is how we lead a path to social justice and, ultimately, closing the gap. 

It now gives me great pleasure to present the 2020 AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship to Lloyd Diggins. 

And I’d now like to invite Lloyd to say a few words. 

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