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Is age really the best arbiter of health?

In response to the Medical Board's proposal to introduce mandatory health checkups for doctors over 70, AMA Queensland President Dr Nick Yim told ABC Radio that any new regulations must not discriminate against any group. "We don't need to put additional barriers in place... that could be a trigger for our workforce to leave the profession. But at the same time, we do acknowledge that we need to ensure that we keep our patients safe and our community safe."

Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr Nick Yim, ABC Queensland, Drive with Annie Gaffney, Wednesday 7 August 2024

Subject: Health checks for older doctors


ANNIE GAFFNEY: Older doctors could soon be forced to have regular health check-ups in order to continue working. What do you make of that? This proposed change has come after the Medical Board found complaints against practitioners aged over 70 were increasing substantially. The check-up would include cognitive tests and is being considered to ensure patient safety. The consultation has begun with the Australian Medical Board. Dr Nick Yim is the President of the Australian Medical Association Queensland. He's a Hervey Bay-based GP. Nick, great to have you here. What's outlined in this proposal exactly?

DR NICK YIM: Good afternoon, Annie. I think the key thing here is this is still in the consultation phase. Obviously in our doctor workforce, we have doctors of all ages. And I think it's good to remind our listeners that doctors are humans as well. Potentially, this could be a good opportunity for doctors to have their health checks with their regular GPs.

ANNIE GAFFNEY: Now, the rate of complaints against older doctors is increasing. It's up from 36.2 complaints per 1,000 doctors in this age group of over-70s in 2015 to 69.5 last year. Why are we seeing an increase in the complaints made against older doctors, do you think?

DR NICK YIM: That's a really good question. This is where we need to dig deeper into the data. Complaints can be due to many reasons. It could be communication. It could be maybe not agreeing with the doctor's opinion, for example. At the same time, we also acknowledge that the general public has a greater resource and ability to lodge a complaint via online means. But at the same time, we do have a really good system currently with AHPRA, our regulator, who already has mandatory reporting in place, and obviously it's something where they are regulating our profession already.

ANNIE GAFFNEY: What kind of health checks do older doctors have to have, or any doctor? I mean, is there a system once you get to a certain age you do have to have health checks and cognitive testing to prove that you’re able to continue to practise as a GP? What can you tell us, Nick?

DR NICK YIM: This is where the consultation is because at the end of the day, we need to ensure that in this process, that we're not discriminating against our older doctors. That's the one of the key things, because one of the big issues is workforce. And I've spoken to your listeners about workforce and across the whole state, we do have workforce challenges, so we don't need to put additional barriers in place, and maybe that could be a trigger for our workforce to leave the profession. But at the same time, we do acknowledge that we need to ensure that we keep our patients safe and our community safe.

ANNIE GAFFNEY: Do you think we should be seeing this happen in other professions? I mean, is this something that's just unfairly targeting doctors?

DR NICK YIM: We do see it in other professions already. Many listeners will acknowledge that. We already in Queensland have the over-75 health check for driving. Pilots have to go through mandatory health checks as well. We do need to ensure we have a fair process for our doctors, but also acknowledge that there's other medical conditions that could be at play as well.

ANNIE GAFFNEY: I was listening to one older doctor speaking to the ABC this morning. I missed his name, I think he was 80 and works full-time, which I thought, wow, good on you for wanting to work full-time at the age of 80. But he was saying – ageing is a really different process these days. You know, our perception of how people age and their ability to work into their older years might be stuck in the past. And there's been so many advancements with healthcare that a lot of people who are older like him haven't experienced the kind of cognitive decline that perhaps once was expected, even if it didn't happen, with older Australians. What do you make of comments like that?

DR NICK YIM: They're absolutely right. What we're seeing is many doctors, especially towards the end of their career, they acknowledge that maybe some of their skill sets are changing. They still serve such an important role in the education of future doctors and early career doctors as well. So they might not be doing maybe their 12 to 18-hour procedures that they were doing maybe 10 years ago, but they're still playing a very important part in the workforce and also the education of the future workforce.

ANNIE GAFFNEY: What about the refreshing of knowledge for doctors? What training do doctors currently undertake yearly to refresh their knowledge? Older doctors, are they always up to date with the latest knowledge?

DR NICK YIM: This issue was brought up a couple of years ago and AHPRA, the regulator, has brought in mandatory, compulsory education for all doctors. So that doesn't just include the older doctors. It includes all doctors across the whole profession.

ANNIE GAFFNEY: Well, Nick, it's going to be really interesting to see what's decided out of this consultation process, because I understand there's a few models that have been suggested. What do you think is a reasonable expectation of someone aged over 70 in your profession when it comes to any kind of testing?

DR NICK YIM: I think the key thing is the reminder to all my doctor colleagues, it's not just about a number. It's a good opportunity to ensure that all doctors, we have our own GP, we get our regular health checks essentially to maintain our health and keep well.

ANNIE GAFFNEY: Dr Nick Yim, always good to catch up with you.

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