Family doctors - Local heroes in natural disasters and crises
AMA Family Doctor Week 18-24 July 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.
“When floods, storms and fires hit many parts of Australia earlier this year, family doctors did all they could to keep their practices open to treat their own patients and people who weren’t able to see their own GP.
“They worked in hospitals, provided on-the-ground assistance in emergencies and evacuation centres, and they treated the walking wounded.
“These examples show the invaluable contribution GPs can make in helping communities recover from natural disasters.
“The AMA urges governments to work with GPs and involve them in disaster planning arrangements,” Dr Hambleton said.
Australians report high trust in doctors, particularly family doctors, with 87 per cent rating doctors as ethical and honest in the latest Roy Morgan Image of Professions Survey.
“When a crisis hits, people want to be able to seek help from their family doctor who is familiar with them, their family and individual circumstances,” Dr Hambleton said.
“Whether the crisis is personal or part of a large-scale disaster, family doctors are often the first people Australians turn to when they need help.”
The AMA today released a video on its website profiling Queensland GP, Dr Richard Kidd, about his experiences helping his community of Nundah during the Queensland floods in January. The video can be viewed at http://ama.com.au/familydoctorweek2011
21 July 2011
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