doctor

VOL 8 - NUMBER 02 - MARCH/APRIL 2016 

doctor 

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (NSW) 

THE NSW 

AMA urges 

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doctor 

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (NSW) 

THE NSW 

The Australian Medical 

Association (NSW) Limited 

ACN 000 001 614 

Street address 

69 Christie Street 

ST LEONARDS NSW 2065 

Mailing address 

PO Box 121, ST LEONARDS NSW 1590 

Telephone (02) 9439 8822 

Outside Sydney Telephone 1800 813 423 

Facsimile (02) 9438 3760 

Outside Sydney Facsimile 1300 889 017 

Email enquiries@amansw.com.au 

Website www.amansw.com.au 

The NSW Doctor is the bi-monthly publication of 

the Australian Medical Association (NSW) Limited. 

contents 

Features 

08 

Australia Day honours 

10 

2016 – A turning point? 

Printing by A.R. Rennie Printers, Caringbah. 

Views expressed by contributors to The NSW 

Doctor and advertisements appearing in 

The NSW Doctor are not necessarily endorsed by 

the Australian Medical Association (NSW) Limited. 

No responsibility is accepted by the Australian 

Medical Association (NSW) Limited, the editors 

or the printers for the accuracy of the information 

contained in the text and advertisements in 

The NSW Doctor. 

The acceptance of advertising in AMA (NSW) 

publications, digital, or social channels or 

sponsorship of AMA (NSW) events does not in any 

way indicate or imply endorsement by the AMA. 

12 

New interns: record breaking year 

14 

Some good advice 

Executive Officers 2014-2015 

President Clin A/Prof Saxon Smith 

Vice President Professor Bradley Frankum 

Chairman of Council Dr Michael Bonning 

Chair, Audit Dr Andrew Zuschmann 

Chair, Hospital Practice Committee 

Dr Ian Woodforth 

Chair, Professional Issues Committee 

Dr Michael Steiner 

Director Dr Sandy Jusuf 

Director Dr Kean-Seng Lim 

DIT Representative Dr Danielle McMullen 

16 

The Good Old Days 

18 

The healthcare of asylum seekers 

Secretariat 

Chief Executive Officer Fiona Davies 

Medical Director Dr Robyn Napier 

Chief Financial Officer Walter Edgar 

Director, Medico Legal and Employment 

Relations Andrew Took 

Director, Policy & Industrial Relations Sim Mead 

Director, Services Kerry Evripidou 

Editor 

Andrea Cornish 

andrea.cornish@amansw.com.au 

Designer 

Clarissa Cowan 

clarissa.cowan@amansw.com.au 

Advertising enquiries 

Michelle Morgan-Mar 

advertising@amansw.com.au 

26 

The rise of the gluten free diet 

Regulars 

2 President’s word 

4 From the CEO 

6 DIT diary 

28 Medico-Legal 

31 

Moving to greater transparency 

32 Golf events 

34 Members & Classifieds 

36 Member services 

amansw.com.au I 1

PRESIDENT’S WORD 

Looking forward 

and giving back 

Starting on a new phase in your career? Whilst you 

must narrow your focus to succeed, try not to lose 

perspective on other aspects of your life. 

Is it just me, or did other people find 

that the first two months of the year just 

disappeared in the blink of an eye? But 

at the same time Christmas seems like a 

distant memory… 

The start of the calendar year means 

different things to different people. 

Welcome to all our new interns to the 

hospital system. I had the privilege 

of meeting some of you during your 

orientation week. As I said at the time, 

it honestly doesn’t feel that long ago I 

was sitting there in the group listening 

to those that presented in front of me, 

waiting to finally get started as a doctor. 

I felt proud of myself for making it through 

all those years of university – studying, 

exams, cheap student living and the 

occasional fun. And while I had come so 

far, I understood as a new intern that this 

was only the beginning of the next phase. 

I remember being so tired, both mentally 

and physically, during the first few 

months of being an intern as I learnt 

new systems at new hospitals, made 

new work friendships, and could finally 

afford more than an entrée with a glass 

of water when going out for dinner with 

friends. But it was that tiredness that 

struck me at the time, so much so I 

remember asking a medical registrar, 

“does it actually get better, or do you just 

get used to it?” After she stopped and 

thought about it for a while she replied, 

“I think you just get used to it.” And 

I think in many ways she was right. 

Reflecting on it now, I realise the thing 

that helps you get through all of this 

is friends, family and colleagues. The 

melting pot of hospitals and the hours 

of demanding work force a closeness 

with your colleagues who become 

friends, supports, confidantes, and coconspirators 

in high jinx. My advice would 

be to look after your colleagues as you 

are on this journey together, and together 

you will not just survive but flourish. 

For those who passed their fellowship 

exams during the preceding year, you 

are now seeing the light at the end of 

a very long tunnel. The previous years 

have been a constant juggle between 

work, exams, study and a semblance 

of normal life. Congratulations as you 

too have passed through the eye of the 

needle and find yourself on the other 

side. I think of the fellowship exams as 

an hourglass shaped ordeal; at the top 

of the hour glass you have time, energy 

and enthusiasm. But as you get closer 

to examinations, everything funnels 

together, which means you must focus 

more on your career – often at the 

sacrifice of other aspects of your life – 

right up to the tightest point where you 

wiggle and crawl your way through the 

exams themselves. But once through, 

this bottleneck opens up. It is now up to 

you as a fellow of your college to fill in the 

space. This could be with family, friends, 

holidays, or perhaps you could open up 

a Bollywood dance studio in your spare 

time, such as a friend of mine has done. 

But as you look forward to the future also 

look to those around you: the colleagues 

you work with; the patients you treat; 

the community that we serve. We have 

a wonderful opportunity to find ways to 

give to others. For me, my involvement 

in the AMA is my way of giving back to a 

system that has given me an opportunity 

of a lifetime. 

I know the interns starting today have a 

tough road ahead, made even tougher 

by poor government planning with 

regard to medical graduate numbers and 

training positions. Your AMA will continue 

to lobby on behalf of the profession and 

the community to ensure that whether 

you live in the city, a regional centre, or 

the back of Bourke, we have a healthcare 

system that strives to deliver quality care 

to all – and critical to this is to ensure 

training opportunities for current and 

future junior doctors. dr. 

President@amansw.com.au @drsaxonsmith www.facebook.com/amansw 

Clin A/Prof Saxon Smith President, AMA (NSW) 

2 I THE NSW DOCTOR I MARCH/APRIL 2016

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FROM THE CEO 

High 

Tea 

Networking for 

women in medicine 

SYDNEY 

Saturday 12 March 2016 

2:30pm to 4:30pm 

Museum of Sydney 

NEWCASTLE 

Saturday 19 March 2016 

2pm to 4pm 

Newton Room (2nd floor) 

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5 King Street, Newcastle 

For further information and to 

register contact the AMA (NSW) 

Events Coordinator, 

Jenni Noble, 02 9902 8140 

Register www.amansw.com.au 

AMA (NSW) MEMBERS ONLY 

Sydney sponsors 

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Dealing with 

the big issues 

The AMA is working on 

several fronts to support 

professionals and improve 

care for the community. 

Occasionally this work 

involves dumplings. 

One of the great things about working 

for the AMA is the variety of issues 

we become involved in. From one 

month to the next, we can go from 

championing the cause of children in 

detention and talking about hospital 

violence, to taking doctors-in-training 

out for dumplings and getting female 

doctors together for afternoon tea. 

The common thread through all of 

these activities is the AMA’s role in 

helping the medical profession to be 

the best it can be. As I said to our 

intern members when welcoming 

them to the profession in O Week, as 

doctors, you have an extraordinary 

capacity to make a difference in 

people’s lives, both the patients in 

front of you and also the community at 

large. Doctors have the chance to do 

that because they are used to doing 

what is hard. In our job as advocates 

we are so often told by politicians and 

policymakers that something cannot 

be done because it is “too hard”. 

It makes me glad these people are 

policymakers and not doctors. 

On the topic of difficult issues, I was 

pleased to represent the AMA at 

the Ministry Forum on Violence in 

Emergency Departments. The Forum 

was convened in the wake of the 

shooting of a police officer at Nepean 

Hospital. The incident unleashed a 

significant amount of feedback from 

members about how common violence 

is in our hospitals and how much it was 

taken for granted and not reported. We 

were pleased to support the Ministry 

in starting with an audit of a number 

of hospitals to see what is really 

happening on the ground. However, 

we also want to use this as the basis 

of a broader conversation about the 

violence and abuse all doctors seem to 

experience, not just in EDs and wards 

but also in their practices. 

On a lighter note, we have our 

Intern Dumpling Night. I have been 

asked why we are taking DITs out 

for dumplings. The answer is because 

it’s fun, and fun should be part of the 

AMA and medicine as well. Aside from 

it being fun, it’s an important chance 

to talk to your colleagues. Internship 

can be a difficult year and it’s important 

to keep in contact with colleagues 

and remain connected. Remembering 

to eat is also important and what 

better thing to eat than lots and lots 

of dumplings. dr. 

fiona.davies@amansw.com.au 

Fiona Davies CEO, AMA (NSW) 


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I 5

DIT DIARY 

Professional perils 

of social media 

Recognise a patient or colleague online? 

Swipe left… 

Last year a resident pulled out his phone 

over lunch and showed me a Facebook 

friend request from his direct senior 

that linked to a profile full of photos of 

her in skimpy nurse and policewoman 

costumes. He asked me if I thought 

this was an invitation to make a move 

(I thought not). Most junior doctors are 

pretty well versed in the hazards of social 

media posting but much of the etiquette 

in this area is new territory. Cases of 

doctors losing their jobs due to social 

media infractions are infrequent, however 

there have been notable examples such 

as a medical student who was expelled 

for a tweet calling Barack Obama a 

‘monkey’ and a doctor in Broken Hill 

barred from practice for both sleeping 

with a patient and for discussing the 

relationship and his medical details 

over Facebook chat with the patient’s 

ex-partner. 

The AMA provides excellent guidance on 

how to avoid pitfalls such as breaches 

of confidentiality, inadvertently defaming 

colleagues and bringing the profession 

into disrepute. They warn against using 

mediums like Facebook (that include 

personal information) to communicate 

with patients. However, the complexities 

of practicing medicine in the Internet 

age are only intensifying. I’ve yet to find 

advice on how to handle stumbling onto 

the profile of a senior colleague on a 

hook-up app as happened to an intern I 

know, or what to do when you realise the 

patient you’re seeing is someone you’ve 

previously chatted to on a dating service 

under a screen name. That did happen 

to a registrar at a hospital I worked at, he 

chose to disclose their previous contact 

as the patient had not yet realised they 

had communicated online and offered 

to refer the patient 

to another team. The 

patient preferred to 

continue on with the current 

team so as to avoid explaining the 

reason for swapping to a new group 

of doctors, certainly a fraught situation 

to navigate. 

It’s awkward for a patient to see you 

on a dating site or app and discover 

information you would usually never 

disclose, such as your sexual orientation 

or idea of a perfect date. It’s also 

awkward for more junior colleagues to 

see senior medical staff in this kind of 

context and vice versa, nevertheless it’s 

happening. Doctors have just as much 

right to use dating and social apps in 

their personal time as any other private 

citizen. However, we are entering an 

era where it will be difficult for doctors 

to maintain adequate control over 

their public reputations without being 

inadvertently restricted in their online 

social interactions. It may not sound 

like a big deal but with dating apps like 

Tinder becoming increasingly popular as 

efficient and safe methods of meeting 

potential partners (in comparison to 

old-fashioned methods like meeting 

someone in a bar) doctors-in-training 

who are already time poor may have 

less opportunity than others to find 

potential mates. 

Although there’s not much guidance 

available as yet on how to take your 

consultant seriously after you've seen 

their poorly lit bathroom-selfie, the 

appropriate course of action if one does 

happen across sensitive information 

seems to be to maintain a respectful 

distance. Blurring of professional into 

social relationships has always been 

an issue in the hospital even if now the 

danger is accidentally happening across 

an online profile rather than running 

into a colleague in a pub with a drink in 

hand. Interaction on dating apps with 

colleagues is probably best avoided 

and social-media interaction with 

patients should always be avoided, but 

ultimately doctors do retain a right to a 

personal life. It will be the work of the 

next generation of professional 

clinicians to strike a balance between 

enjoying the expansion of social 

opportunity the Internet can offer 

and maintaining the standing of the 

profession in the public eye. To have 

the best of both worlds, reflecting on 

how we are perceived online and how 

we maintain work life balance, will 

be key. dr. 

@elizamilliken 

Dr Eliza Milliken Junior Doctor 


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amansw.com.au I 7

FEATURE 

Australia Day Honours 2016 

AMA (NSW) would like to congratulate its members 

who received honours on Australia Day… 

OFFICER (AO) IN THE 

GENERAL DIVISION 

Professor Minas Theodore Coroneo 

Vaucluse, NSW 

For distinguished service to 

ophthalmology, to the research and 

development of innovative surgical 

technologies and devices, and to 

eye health in regional and Indigenous 

communities. 

Honourable Dr Brendan John Nelson 

Bowral, NSW 

For distinguished service to the 

Parliament of Australia, to the community, 

to the advancement of Australia’s 

international relations, and to major 

cultural institutions. 

MEMBER (AM) IN THE 


Dr Jay Chandra, NSW 

For significant service to medicine in the 

field of ophthalmology as a clinician, and 

to the international community through 

eye care programs. 

Dr Paul Raymond Mara, 

Gundagai NSW 

For significant service to medicine, 

particularly through the recruitment and 

retention of medical practitioners in rural 

and remote areas. 

Dr Lyon Phillip Robinson, 

Bellevue Hill, NSW 

For significant service to medicine, 

particularly as a pioneer in the field of 

ophthalmic surgery. 

MEDAL (OAM) IN THE 


Dr William John Houston Paradice, 

Scone, NSW 

For service to the community, particularly 

as a general practitioner. dr. 

The Hon Jillian Skinner, NSW 

Minister for Health, has appointed 

Dr Robyn Napier as a member 

of the NSW Board of the Medical 

Board of Australia. 

The appointment is made under 

the Health Practitioner Regulation 

National Law. 

AMA (NSW) congratulates Robyn 

on her appointment and wishes her 

well in her deliberations during her 

term of office. 

Dr Jay Chandra celebrated 

the 10th anniversary of his 

organisation The Fiji Eye 

Project in July 2015. 

“We have now operated on close to 

1000 cases from 2006 to 2015. Almost 

85% of the cataracts were operated 

on by the modern technique of 

phacoemulsification with rapid recovery 

of visual function,” Dr Chandra said. 

In his years of volunteer work, Dr 

Chandra said there have been many 

special moments. He recalled operating 

on one patient who only had light 

perception vision in both eyes due to 

bilateral hypermature cataracts. After 

surgery, she saw her two grandchildren 

for the first time. 

“Her tears of joy moved us all,” he said. 


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FEATURE 

2016 – 

A turning point? 

On the eve of the 2017 funding cliff, 

the Federal Government has just 

three months to deliver a Budget 

that will thwart an imminent crisis 

for public hospitals. 

The 2016 AMA Public Hospital Report 

Card might be the most important 

snapshot of Australia’s healthcare system 

the organisation has released to date – 

given that the Federal Government has 

just a few months left to fix the funding 

problems that threaten to cripple the 

healthcare system prior to the 2017 

funding cliff. 

“The States and Territories are facing a 

public hospital funding ‘black hole’ from 

2017 when growth in Federal funding 

slows to a trickle,” said AMA President, 

Professor Brian Owler. 

“From July 2017, the Commonwealth 

will strictly limit its contribution to public 

hospital costs.” 

Growth in Commonwealth funding 

will be restricted to indexation using 

the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and 

population growth only. Treasury advised 

the Senate Economics Committee that 

this change will reduce Commonwealth 

public hospital funding by $57 billion over 

the period 2017-18 to 2024-25. 

With 2016 shaping up to be an Election 

year, the AMA is hoping the data released 

in its report will put scrutiny on the 

Federal Government. 

The big turning point, if there is to be one, 

is the May Budget, which the AMA is 

hoping will be a positive Health Budget. 

“This is the Budget where it has 

to be done,” Prof Owler said. “This 

is what makes this report so timely 

and so important.” 

In the 2015-16 Budget, Commonwealth 

funding for public hospitals was reduced 

by $423 million for three years to 2017- 

18. A further $31 million was cut in the 

December 2015 MYEFO Budget update. 

“Public hospital funding is about to 

become the biggest challenge facing 

States and Territory finances – and the 

dire consequences are already starting 

to show.” 

The AMA Public Hospital Report Card, 

released in late January, revealed the 

performance of public hospitals is virtually 

stagnant, and even declining in key areas. 

According to Prof Owler, the 

disappointing results are a direct 

consequence of reduced growth in 

the Commonwealth’s funding of 

public hospitals. 

The report shows bed number ratios have 

deteriorated; waiting times are largely 

static, with only very minor improvement; 

Emergency Department waiting times 

have worsened; the percentage of ED 

patients treated in four hours has not 

changed, and is well below target; 

and elective surgery waiting times and 

treatment targets are largely unchanged. 

“This is the 

Budget where it 

has to be done,” 

Prof Owler 

said. “This 

is what makes 

this report so 

timely and so 

important.” 

KEY FINDINGS 

Hospital bed to population 

numbers have remained constant 

over recent years, while there has 

been increasing demand for 

hospital services. 

Nationally, only 68% of emergency 

department patients classified 

as urgent were seen within the 

recommended 30 minutes. 

In 2014-15, no State or Territory 

met the interim (2014) or final 

(2015) National Emergency 

Access Target of patients 

being treated within four hours. 

Performance in Victoria and 

Western Australia was below their 

2013 targets, and performance 

in South Australia, Tasmania, the 

Northern Territory and the ACT 

was below their 2012 targets, with 

the Northern Territory performance 

in 2014-15 failing to meet their 

baseline for this target. 


57 

Elective Surgery – Waiting times 

Median waiting time for elective surgery (days) - NSW 

“Public hospital performance has 

not improved overall against the 

performance benchmarks set by 

all Governments.” 

In NSW, the report indicated the 

State was falling short in three 

of the five key performance 

benchmarks. Elective surgery 

waiting times have increased to 

more than 52 days. While the 

figures found that more than 75% 

of urgent patients were seen 

within the recommended four-hour 

waiting time – unchanged from 

last year – it is still short of the 

90% target. 

Longer wait times in emergency 

departments and for elective 

surgery has far reaching affects on 

patients’ health, Prof Owler said. 

“When people wait longer in 

emergency departments, it’s 

not an inconvenience. We know 

that overcrowding and long wait 

times in emergency departments 

are associated with increased 

morbidity and even mortality. That 

is, people actually have more 

complications if they’re all stuffed 

into an emergency department 

and not receiving the appropriate 

care in the appropriate part of the 

hospital. So, this is more than just 

an inconvenience, and obviously 

people waiting on elective surgery 

lists – it might be for something 

like a hip or knee replacement, it 

might be for cancer surgery. But 

when people wait long periods, 

obviously their condition can 

deteriorate, and if people aren’t 

able to exercise or walk, they 

often put on weight, they get 

cardiovascular disease, diabetes, 

and so they end up in the much 

worse shape by the time they 

actually do get their procedure.” dr. 

52 

47 

42 

37 

32 

27 

100% 

90% 

80% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

2001/ 

2002 

2002/ 

2003 

2003/ 

2004 

2004/ 

2005 

2005/ 

2006 

2006/ 

2007 

2007/ 

2008 

2008/ 

2009 

2009/ 

2010 

2010/ 

2011 

2011/ 

2012 

Sources: AIHW elective surgery data cubes (2001-02 to 2006-07); AIHW Australian 

Hospitals Statistics: elective surgery waiting times (2007-08 to 2014-15) 

National Emergency Access Target (NEAT) 

Percentage of emergency department visits completed in four hours or less - NSW 

Baseline 

40% 

2011/12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 

Source: Australian Hospitals Statistics 2011-12 to 2014-15: emergency department care (AIHW) 

State and Territory Performance - Summary 

State/ 

Territory 

Improvement 

in Emergency 

Department 

waiting 

time - urgent 

(category 3) 

2014-15 

Met 

National 

Emergency 

Access 

Target 

(NEAT) 

2014+ 

Improvement 

in Elective 

Surgery 

waiting time 

2014-15 

Met 

National 

Elective 

Surgery 

Target 

(NEST)+* 

2014 

Improvement 

in Elective 

Surgery 

Category 2 

admission in 

90 days 

2012/ 

2013 

Target 

2013/ 

2014 

2014/ 

2015 

MYEFO 2015- 

16 increased 

Commonwealth 

funding for 

2015-16 

over Budget 

2015-16 

NSW ✘ ✘ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✘ 

VIC ✘ ✘ ✔ ✘ ✔ ✔ 

QLD ✘ ✘ ✔ ✘ ✔ ✔ 

WA ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✔ 

SA ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ 

TAS ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ 

ACT ✘ ✘ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✘ 

NT ✔ ✘ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✘ 

+ Targets are set on a calendar year basis; performance as reported by AIHW. AIHW reported elective surgery 

Category 2 performance for financial year 2013-14 but data for the period 2010-11 to 2011-12, and January 

to June 2013 has not been published. Elective surgery Category 2 year on year performance is graphed for 

each State and Territory below, excluding these periods. 

*Treating patients within clinically recommended time – Category 2 (within 90 days) 

amansw.com.au I 11

FEATURE 

RECORD 

YEAR FOR 

INTERNS 

This year’s group of interns is another record-breaker in NSW, as nearly 

1000 graduates embark on their medical careers. The AMA (NSW) / 

ASMOF (NSW) Alliance welcomed the new doctors to the state’s health 

system in late January. 


The number of interns in 2016 is a slight 

increase over last year, with 983 finding 

places in NSW compared to 980 in 2015. 

“It’s a good thing that this is another 

record cohort, as it will help NSW 

solve its doctor shortage and help the 

system cope with massive demands in 

healthcare,” said Dr Danielle McMullen, 

Chair of the Doctors-in-Training 

Committee (DITC). 

The Alliance visited every teaching 

hospital in the state to meet with interns 

during Orientation Week and discuss the 

advantages of becoming a member. This 

is the fourth year of the AMA (NSW) / 

ASMOF (NSW) Alliance and its reputation 

for providing assistance to junior doctors 

is growing. 

Doctor representatives highlighted some 

of the big wins the Alliance has had for 

DITs in recent years. 

Since July 2013, ASMOF (NSW) has 

helped DITs recover approximately 

$4 million in wages for ADOs, long 

service leave, maternity leave, meal 

breaks, overtime and call-backs, 

and assisted DITs when an alleged 

overpayment has occurred. 

The Alliance is also in the process of 

renegotiating the Award to improve 

conditions for doctors-in-training at 

NSW hospitals. 

“It’s important to ensure sound industrial 

protection for junior doctors, and that’s 

why ASMOF has prioritised renegotiating 

and improving the doctors-in-training 

Award,” Dr McMullen said. 

Meanwhile, AMA (NSW) has been at 

the forefront of the battle to ensure all 

medical graduates get an intern place. 

Together with AMSA, we have been 

successful in persuading the NSW 

Government to guarantee an intern place 

for all domestic graduates. AMA (NSW) 

has also lobbied the Federal Government 

to fund additional intern places for 

overseas students. 

The focus has now shifted to ensure 

there are enough college positions. 

During the 2015 NSW election 

campaign, the State Government 

agreed with AMA (NSW)’s requests 

to fund 60 new registrar positions 

over the next four years. 

Despite the boost, more work is 

needed in this area. 

“A doctor’s medical training does 

not begin and end at university,” 

Dr McMullen said. “We continue our 

training throughout our careers and the 

interns have two major bottlenecks and 

many years ahead of them before they 

are the specialists and GPs we need. 

“Governments, both State and Federal, 

need to work together to ensure that 

adequate training places are available to 

make sure all interns can complete this 

on-the-job training.” 

In December last year, following pressure 

from the AMA, the Federal Government 

committed $94 million to support regional 

training in its Mid-Year Economic and 

Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO). 

As part of the new rural health workforce 

initiatives, the Government committed 

to the creation of a new Integrated Rural 

Training Pipeline that will help to retain 

medical graduates in rural areas by 

better coordinating the different stages of 

training within regions. 

There are three components to the 

new initiative, including 30 new regional 

training hubs, over $10 million per 

year into a new Rural Junior Doctor 

Training Innovation Fund and a targeted 

expansion of the Specialist Training 

Programme to provide up to 100 new 

training places in rural areas. 

The other major area of concern 

that the Alliance is continuing to 

address is bullying and sexual 

harassment in medicine. 

“I want the interns of 2016 to know 

that there is help available if you find 

yourself being bullied or harassed and 

that with all the focus on the issue, 

access to that help is going to get 

easier,” Dr McMullen said. 

The Alliance is lobbying the Government 

to adopt specific processes for junior 

doctors, and for those members 

experiencing problems we can provide 

confidential and expert assistance. dr. 

INTERNSHIPS BY HOSPITAL 

SYDNEY HOSPITALS 

Auburn 10 

Balmain 3 

Bankstown-Lidcombe and Camden 46 

& Campbelltown 

Blacktown-Mount Druitt 42 

Blue Mountains 3 

Calvary Healthcare Sydney 2 

Canterbury Hospital and Concord 42 

Repatriation General Hospital 

Liverpool and Fairfield hospitals 51 

Hornsby 35 

Nepean 50 

Hawkesbury District Health Service 6 

Prince of Wales 36 

Royal North Shore 44 

Royal Prince Alfred 46 

Ryde 11 

St George 43 

St Vincent’s 29 

Sutherland 24 

Westmead 70 

RURAL AND REGIONAL HOSPITALS 

Albury 5 

Armidale 3 

Bathurst 5 

Belmont 12 

Bulli 4 

Calvary Mater 22 

Broken Hill 3 

Coffs Harbour 19 

Dubbo 12 

Griffith 2 

Gosford 35 

John Hunter 51 

Lismore 14 

Maitland 6 

Manning 6 

Orange 17 

Port Kembla 1 

Port Macquarie 16 

Royal Newcastle Centre 2 

The Mater – HNE Mental Health 5 

Shellharbour 4 

Shoalhaven 7 

Tamworth 18 

Tweed Heads 18 

Wagga Wagga 22 

Wollongong 49 

Wyong 26 

amansw.com.au I 13

FEATURE 

Some good advice 

In recognition of Orientation Week - The NSW Doctor asked several 

doctors to share the best advice they ever received as an intern. 

PHONES AND FAST FOOD 

Always make time for mealbreaks, 

but learn to eat quickly. And 

never answer a ringing phone at a 

nurses’ station. It’s not for you. If 

they want you they’ll page you. If 

you do answer the phone you’ll be 

stuck trying to find whoever they 

did want! 

Dr Andrew Zuschmann 

DO WHAT YOU LOVE 

The best advice I received as an intern was to find the area of medicine that I 

absolutely loved doing and go for it. You will spend many, many hours doing 

this job over the coming years. A good proportion of these hours will be very 

inconvenient for you and your family. It helps if you love your job! You will train 

with enthusiasm, work with commitment and have great job satisfaction. It’s 

been 18 years since I started my internship and I still think that same message 

applies today. If you love your job, you will be good at it and people will want to 

work with you. 

Dr Fred Betros 

SOS 

No one expects you to diagnose a 

patient correctly. What you do need 

to know is when someone is sick 

and CALL FOR HELP! 

Dr Sandy Jusuf 

OPEN HEART 

The best advice I received from my 

mentors was to practise medicine 

with humility and make a conscious 

choice to sit at the bedside of 

patients when doing ward rounds, 

and to open my heart to their 

spoken and unspoken fears. 

Dr Sergio Diez Alvarez 

EAT, SLEEP, WORK, 

REPEAT… 

I clearly remember one piece of 

useful advice from when I started 

as an intern when shifts were long: 

Eat as much as you can as soon 

as you can, and sleep as much as 

you can as soon as you can. 

Dr Ian Woodforth 

THE BUCK STOPS…THERE 

It was a long time ago, but I do remember being told by either a registrar or consultant, “Just remember the buck 

doesn’t stop with you” (even though it sometimes felt it did), and another was “there’s no such thing as a stupid 

question” – if you’re unsure about something ask. 

Dr Jonathan Gibson 

Medical school prepares you with cognitive and practical skills, but it is impossible to 

fully prepare for the impact of working long hours plus overtime, the demands and 

stress that come with your new responsibilities and the toll on your personal life. 

It can be difficult to talk about these issues, but you’re not alone. For more information, 

please visit www.jmohealth.org.au, a website created to promote the health and 

well-being of junior doctors. The site includes self assessment tools, information on 

common problems, and ideas on how to reduce stress. There are also resources 

available if you need help. dr. 


2016 

AMA/ASMOF Alliance 

MENTORING 

PROGRAM 

Bringing doctors together 

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR INTERNS, STUDENTS & MENTORS 

For more information please contact Michelle Morgan-Mar 

9902 8143 or email michelle.morgan-mar@amansw.com.au 

amansw.com.au 

A joint initiative of ASMOF (NSW) and AMA (NSW) 

amansw.com.au I 15

OPINION 

The Good Old 

Days of sunburn 

and cancer 

Could it be that decades of research have shown 

that UV rays are in fact quite harmful? Heavens, 

no, don’t be silly. The FUN POLICE are just 

trying to ruin everything with their sunscreen and 

legionnaire’s hats, writes Deirdre Fidge. 

The vaguest time period in international 

history is referred to as the Good 

Old Days. 

Cloaked in mystery, it is uncertain 

when exactly the world was blessed 

with these years. 

Historians have been scratching their 

heads, scouring books and eating tuna 

sandwiches (unrelated) for years, trying 

to pinpoint the exact moment the Good 

Old Days began. 

Despite the fact that they cannot seem 

to find the precise era, there’s one 

thing everyone can agree on: it was 

the greatest time ever. 

The Good Old Days were happier. 

Everything was easier. There were 

no rules, less science, and everyone 

had a grand old time being void of 

political correctness. 

Back in my day, we’d be out all day 

getting second-degree burns and tumble 

home at midnight, after contracting 

several easily preventable diseases due 

to being unvaccinated. What a hoot. 

Before “stranger danger”, kids were sent 

off on their own to the local milk bar 

where they could get an iced treat for 

a thruppence, or even less if we let the 

kindly owner touch our front-bums. 

Seatbeats are an absolute joke. In the 

good old days, having a car accident 

and flying through the windshield was 

a badge of honour! Seven kids didn’t 

make it to graduation and now reside 

in nursing homes due to quadriplegia, 

and they are heralded as heroes at each 

school reunion. 

Back in my day, nobody cared about 

health or nutrition. It was great! Mum 

didn’t cook; instead she created a 

gruel-like combination of crushed Four 

N Twenty meat pies and tobacco. 

She would fling the mixture at our faces 

and we would eat whatever clumps 

made their way into our mouths. 


Such fond memories. 

These simple joys my children will never 

know. They cannot hear the outside 

world, for they are wrapped in seven 

metres of bubble wrap. 

There is no outside, I whisper to my 

son, and place another blanket over his 

bubbly body. 

So what has changed? When did 

the Good Old Days become the 

Boring Present? 

Could it be that science and decades of 

research have shown that UV rays are in 

fact quite harmful and cause various skin 

cancers? Heavens, no, don’t be silly. It’s 

that gosh darn FUN POLICE. 

Australia and New Zealand have the 

highest rates of skin cancer in the world, 

and in 2011, skin cancer was the cause 

of over 2000 deaths. 

Nobody is arguing that cancer is fun, but 

taking simple steps to prevent ill health 

isn’t ruining your freedoms. 

“Uh oh, here comes the FUN POLICE!” 

shouts a libertarian, busy lighting the 

fireworks atop his toddler’s birthday cake. 

“Why do the SAFETY STASI have to 

RUIN EVERYTHING?” asks a busy mum, 

riding helmetless down a freeway with 

her newborn strapped to her chest. 

“They’re just a pack of GOODTIME 

ASSASSINS,” they declare, cutting down 

the pool fence because fun knows no 

boundaries. Hop in, baby Kira, the water 

is warm! 

Who are these supposed fun police that 

are lambasted constantly? It’s actual 

medical professionals and specialist 

researchers such as the Cancer Council. 

It seems to be easier to complain about 

political correctness gone mad than 

accept that basic precautions can 

improve our health and safety. 

Maybe it’s boring to look after yourself 

and think about consequences. Maybe 

it’s not fun to slop some sunscreen on 

your back or pop on a legionnaire’s hat 

(the most fashionable of hats). 

But it’s smart. 

These days, if anyone’s gone mad it’s 

the person bragging about her peeling 

sunburn. That’s just bonkers. 

Deirdre Fidge is a Melbourne-based 

comedian, writer and social worker. 

This article originally appeared on 

ABC’s The Drum. dr. 

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Deirdre Fidge’s column references an 

article that ran in the Herald Sun on 

26 January 2016 ‘Political correctness 

has stolen our kids’ identity’ in which 

the author, Elise Elliott, fondly recalls 

the ubiquitous annual sunburn. 

“What’s an Aussie summer without 

a second-degree skin peel? Back in 

the good old days there was no such 

thing as Sun Protection Factor. It was 

called sun-tanning lotion; Reef Deep 

Suntan Oil if you were posh.” 

AMA (NSW) President, Clin A/Prof 

Saxon Smith’s tweets following 

Ms Elliott’s article highlighted the 

importance of being sunsafe and were 

widely liked and retweeted. 

Email : marketing@etranscriptions.com.au 

Web : www.etranscriptions.com.au 

amansw.com.au I 17

FEATURE 

HEALTHCARE 

AMA urges 

for asylum seekers 

AMA President, Professor Brian Owler delivered this speech at a forum 

held in Sydney in February reiterating the AMA’s concerns for infants and 

children being held in immigration detention centres, and calling for all 

asylum seekers to have access to quality healthcare. 

There are times, in any nation, where 

the medical profession must act in the 

interests not only of our patients as 

individuals, or for patients in a health 

system, but it must act in the national 

interest. Doctors, along with nurses, 

lawyers and others, must lead a debate 

on an issue of national importance. 

I believe that is the case when it comes 

to the issue of children in detention and 

Australia’s provision of health care to 

asylum seekers. 

We should all be proud of the stand 

that our colleagues have taken. Doctors 

at the Royal Children’s Hospital in 

Melbourne and, of course, more recently 

at the Lady Cilento Hospital in Brisbane 

have refused to release children from 

hospital because they would be returned 

to detention. 

Some commentators have seen this 

as a form of political protest. But as a 

doctor working in a paediatric hospital, 

who deals with the consequences of 

physical abuse, I know that there is 

no reasonable other option for these 

doctors and nurses to take. There is an 

absolute ethical, not to mention moral, 

obligation to that patient who is in their 

care. The obligation is to not release a 

child back into a situation where they 

have reason to believe that there is a 

risk of harm, whether that be physical or 

psychological. 

Let me say that it is not an issue of 

denying someone else a bed for elective 


procedure. The obligation of that 

hospital, of those doctors, and nurses, is 

to the patient that is under their care. To 

those doctors and nurses, and indeed, 

the State Governments and hospital 

administrators who have supported 

them, let me say you have our support. 

Last night I became aware that lawyers 

for Baby Asha had been refused access 

to her mother. This communication 

blackout usually precedes a transfer. 

It was reported that guards were to 

forcibly remove Baby Asha from Lady 

Cilento Hospital against medical advice. 

I was shocked. I made a number of 

calls. Bill Shorten did call Prime Minister 

Turnbull to seek reassurance that this 

would not happen. 

As I said last night, security guards 

entering a hospital to forcibly remove a 

patient would be unprecedented in this 

country. It a line that cannot be crossed. 

If crossed, there is no return. 

Although there was reassurance 

nothing would happen last night, 

it seems that the reprieve may be 

temporary. You have to ask why the 

Department of Immigration and Border 

Protection is pulling apart the moral 

fabric of this country! 

So, is there is a reason to believe that 

a child would be at risk? Well, that 

question has already been answered. 

The 2014 Report of the Human Rights 

Commission: The Forgotten Children 

clearly documents the harms that 

children experience as a result of 

mandatory detention. 

On that note, I acknowledge Professor 

Gillian Triggs and acknowledge the 

work that the Commission has done to 

highlight these issues. 

The Report documents that the rates 

of mental health disorders were 

significantly higher compared with 

children in the Australian community. 

These findings included cases of selfharm 

by young children. Children being 

detained on Nauru are suffering from 

extreme levels of physical, emotional, 

psychological, and developmental 

distress. The results of this national 

inquiry could not be more clear. 

As noted in the Report, both former and 

current Ministers at that time agreed that 

holding children for prolonged periods 

in detention does not deter people 

smugglers. I acknowledge that the then 

Minister for Immigration, Scott Morrison, 

did reduce the number of children in 

detention significantly. But today there 

are still 67 children on Nauru. 

What is just as concerning is the plight 

of 80 other children, including 37 babies 

who, as a result of the recent High Court 

decision, are inexplicably about to be 

sent back to Nauru. And inexplicable it is. 

In fact, the Human Rights Commission 

Report noted that there was no rational 

explanation for the prolonged detention 

of children. The fact of the matter is 

that prolonged detention of children is a 

State-sanctioned form of child abuse – 

and we call for it to stop. 

Immigration has enriched our society. 

That includes those who have come 

by boat, those who have fled wars 

and persecution. 

I know of one young boy who fled 

his country by boat – stuffed on an 

overloaded boat, he became unwell 

and almost died. 

The boat was seized and he was 

returned to his homeland, where he and 

his family were jailed. They fled again by 

boat, reaching Australia, where he and 

his family this time were sponsored by a 

local family. 

This is a story that is similar to any of 

those children who are in detention 

now. The difference here is that he 

was Vietnamese and it was the 1970s. 

He and his family were embraced by 

Australia. He grew up to become an 

anaesthetist. I am proud to have had him 

as my anaesthetist for 10 years. 

There are many other examples of the 

contribution that asylum seekers have 

made to Australian society. 

In the theatre next to mine at Norwest 

Hospital is a man who started his journey 

as a young Iraqi doctor working in Iraq 

during the Saddam Hussein regime. He 

fled Iraq when his senior doctor was 

shot dead in the car park by soldiers 

for refusing to cut the ears off deserting 

soldiers. He fled to Malaysia and then 

Indonesia, and came here by boat. He 

spent months in Curtin detention Centre, 

where he was treated appallingly. When 

he was finally released, he completed 

his orthopaedic training and joined our 

defence force. He is an expert in osseous 

integration, and has given many British 

soldiers, who are double amputees as a 

result of military injuries, the ability to walk 

again. In fact, when Prince Harry was 

here recently, he made a special visit to 

him and to see his work. I am proud to 

call him a colleague and friend. 

I am aware of many others who are 

among the brightest and the best of 

our profession who did not start life 

amansw.com.au I 19

with privilege, but fled in fear of their 

lives seeking asylum in Australia, where 

they found safety and made a home. 

They have enriched our country, and 

we should be proud to have them as 

Australian citizens. 

Detention is not just harmful to children. 

The same psychological consequences 

occur for adults, particularly when 

detention is prolonged and seemingly 

indefinite. When people are detained 

for whatever reason, they have a right to 

the provision of an appropriate level of 

health care. 

The AMA’s policy is clear. It is the AMA 

position that all asylum seekers and 

refugees under Australian care should 

have access to the same level of health 

care as Australian citizens. In addition, 

it should be ensured that their special 

needs, including their cultural, linguistic, 

and health-related needs, are addressed. 

In October last year, at its 66th Annual 

Assembly in Moscow, the World Medical 

Association issued a Resolution on the 

Global Refugee Crisis. It emphasised 

the damage to one’s health imposed 

by becoming a refugee, and called 

on nations to play their part in the 

immediate care and support of these 

vulnerable people. 

You have heard from our esteemed 

colleagues how, from their direct 

experience and observations, Australia’s 

treatment of asylum seekers could not be 

considered acceptable. 

The defence of this situation, even from 

the Secretary of the Department of 

Immigration and Border Protection, has 

been that there are places in Australia 

where Indigenous people do not have 

access to the same level of services. 

Actually, having returned from remote 

communities in Central Australia 

yesterday, that may be true for 

Indigenous people living in remote 

communities. 

Even so, it is not a defence; if anything 

it is an indictment on the health care 

provided to our own Indigenous people. 

As President of the AMA, I have been 

approached by concerned doctors and 

advocates about particular cases. The 

case of an otherwise healthy 24-yearold 

Iranian asylum seeker who died of a 

treatable condition stands out. 

This man presented with early sepsis 

while in detention on Manus Island. He 

had a temperature of over 40C, he was 

tachycardic, and hypotensive. He was 

started on antibiotics. He developed 

cellulitis and, over the next 24 hours, 

another antibiotic was instituted - but his 

symptoms did not settle. It was decided 

that the patient should be transferred 

for inpatient care at Port Moresby the 

following day on a commercial flight. 

He was to be escorted by a doctor 

who was travelling on the same flight. 

The following morning, at 10.30am, the 

request was made for approval for the 

transfer, and he was booked on the flight. 

At 3.30pm, there was still no approval 

and the transfer was therefore cancelled. 

That night, the patient deteriorated 

and developed septic shock with adult 

respiratory distress syndrome. He 

was saturating at only 77 per cent. An 

emergency evacuation was arranged 

through International SOS. He was 

transferred from Manus Island to PNG 

Pacific Private via air ambulance. He 

was not intubated for reasons that are 

unclear. The patient was saturating at 

60 per cent, and was unconscious on 

arrival at the ED at Pacific Private in 

Port Moresby. 

There was apparently no warning to the 

hospital that the patient was arriving, and 

a further hour and half passed before the 

patient was intubated and resuscitated. 

By this time, the patient was brain dead. 

He was transferred to the Mater Hospital 

in Brisbane where this was confirmed, 

and treatment was later withdrawn. 

The death was referred to the 

Queensland Coroner. A report was 

also prepared by the Department of 

Immigration and Border Protection. This 

latter report has not been released to the 

public. The fact is that this young man 

should never have died. He should have 

been treated. If he had had access to 

appropriate treatment in a timely manner, 

he would still be alive today. 

However, the overall attitude may be 

summed up by the following report 

from the Sydney Morning Herald, which 

quotes a leaked report by a service 

provider on the Island: 


The AMA’s policy is clear. It is the AMA position that all asylum seekers and 

refugees under Australian care should have access to the same level of 

health care as Australian citizens. In addition, it should be ensured that their 

special needs, including their cultural, linguistic, and health-related needs, 

are addressed. 

"It is likely some Iranian transferee 

will spread malicious rumours about 

GDD059's death to further their own 

personal agendas, as well as to exploit 

unrest to further their own agendas and 

standings amongst their countrymen." 

When you have people in isolated tropical 

locations under these conditions, people 

will have significant health problems. It is 

not possible to provide the level of care 

that Australian citizens would expect 

when you are on an island as isolated 

and remote as Manus Island or Nauru. 

Keeping people in such locations when 

they are sick places these people at risk 

of death. 

More recently, I was asked to look into 

three different cases about which doctors 

and advocates had raised concerns. 

A 70 year old who had been an inpatient 

in PNG Pacific Private in Port Moresby 

for seven months was returned to 

Manus Island detention facility where 

he then waited 20 days for a doctor’s 

appointment. 

His diagnosis was described as being a 

heart condition with high blood pressure. 

His legs, of which I was provided pictures 

by an advocate, were grossly swollen 

and oedematous. He was only able to 

stand or walk for a few minutes. It turns 

out that he has TB pericarditis, and he 

was obviously in gross cardiac failure. 

A young man who complained of 

headaches was investigated and found 

to have a small pituitary tumour on an 

MRI performed in Port Moresby. He has 

not had a full panel of blood tests as 

anyone in Australia would normally have. 

His eyesight reportedly deteriorated, 

and he complained of more severe 

headaches. He was transferred back 

to Manus Island where he was seen by 

an endocrinologist by teleconference, 

who prescribed a two-year course 

of medication. An eye review by an 

optometrist was to be conducted within 

six months. 

We were last told that he had not 

received any medication, because the 

doctors were unsure if he wanted to take 

it. Therefore, it had not been ordered for 

the island. 

Finally, another man appears to have 

deteriorating mental health with PTSD 

and depression. He was witness to a 

brutal murder, for which two former 

detention facility workers have been 

charged. He remains in the same 

environment where the event occurred 

that started his PTSD. Is not removing 

him from such an environment the most 

logical and basic step that could be 

taken to assist this man? 

It is not appropriate to keep these 

patients on Manus Island or Nauru. They 

need proper investigation and treatment. 

They need health care. 

I have written to Minister Dutton in 

relation to these cases, and I have met 

with Dr John Brayley, who is the Chief 

Medical Officer and Surgeon General of 

the Australian Border Force. Dr Brayley 

was unaware of most of the cases we 

raised with him. 

And, consistent with the culture of 

secrecy that I have described, at 

every step of the process there were 

barriers and obstacles imposed that 

made transparent health care almost 

impossible. 

First, these asylum seekers needed to 

provide me with a signed and scanned 

consent form, but the Department 

couldn’t tell me if they have access to 

scanners on Manus Island. Their own 

health records were eventually provided 

to the detainees after some delays, 

but they were on computer discs. The 

Department couldn’t tell me if they had 

access to the appropriate IT to read 

them. When I was eventually provided 

with these heath records, they were 

also on a disc. Only it was password 

protected - and the Department didn’t 

supply the password. 

As a result of this process and our 

intervention, I am pleased to say that Dr 

Brayley recommend urgent transfer of the 

man with TB pericarditis to the mainland. 

I want to say that I believe Dr Brayley is 

a good man. He has done great work 

in his previous roles, but he is clearly in 

an impossible situation. It took a week 

of emails and calls, but this sick man 

was eventually transferred. I don’t know 

where to, or what the outcomes are, but 

I am told that he has been removed from 

Manus Island. 

The concerns about the other patients 

remain, but this process also highlighted 

two other major concerns. First, it took 

the President of the AMA to write to 

the Minister for Immigration, arrange 

an appointment with the Chief Medical 

Officer, and provide health records and 

photographic evidence, before action 

was taken. That is not open, transparent, 

and appropriate health care. 

It is also absolutely wrong that the 

decision on transferring this asylum 

seeker for urgent treatment was not 

made by medical practitioners, but by 

IHMS. It was not the ABF’s Chief Medical 

Officer who made the decision. He could 

only make the recommendation. 

So, when the Government and the 

Minister say asylum seekers enjoy the 

same level of health care as ordinary 

Australians, that is simply not true. 

amansw.com.au I 21

In Australia, when a doctor makes a 

clinical recommendation, including 

medical transfers involving significant 

distances, a request does not need to 

be made to the Department of Health 

for clearance. 

Recently, the Department of Immigration 

told the Senate Estimates hearing that 

they decide who is transferred, not the 

Chief Medical Officer, or the treating 

physician. Doctors should not only 

exercise their professional judgment in 

the care and treatment of their patients, 

but they must be able to speak out 

about unjust, unethical maltreatment of 

asylum seekers without persecution 

or prosecution. 

Rather than a culture of clinical 

independence and transparency, we 

have the Border Force Act – a piece 

of legislation that was passed with the 

support of both the Coalition and Labor, 

but opposed by the Greens. 

The AMA is rightly concerned about the 

restrictions contained in the Border 

Force Act. 

Despite the Government’s claims that 

the intent of the Border Force Act is 

not to prevent doctors from reporting 

publicly on conditions in detention and 

regional processing facilities, the AMA 

has received legal advice that does not 

reassure us. 

There are provisions in the Border Force 

Act that are unnecessary and shouldn’t 

apply to healthcare workers. The 

legislation must be amended to make 

it absolutely clear that it does not apply 

to doctors or nurses working in 

detention facilities. 

It is imperative that medical practitioners 

working with asylum seekers and 

refugees put their patients’ health 

needs first. And, to do this, we must 

have professional autonomy and 

clinical independence without undue 

outside pressure. 

Apart from the Border Force Act, in 

December 2013, the Abbott Government 

disbanded the Immigration Health 

Advisory Group. This group, known as 

IHAG, consisted of independent doctors 

who were able to access and assess 

the medical care of asylum seekers 

in detention. It was transparent, and 

provided advice to Government. 

There has been no replacement. Instead, 

when this was raised with the previous 

Minister, we were flatly told that internal 

advice was available, and there would be 

no such group established. 

The AMA has continued to call for the 

establishment of an independent panel 

of doctors and other health professionals 

who can provide independent advice 

to Parliament, and who can report in a 

transparent manner on health-related 

issues. 

At the end of the day, if Minister Dutton 

and the Department of Immigration and 

Border Protection believe that the care 

and treatment of asylum seekers is at a 

level that is appropriate, then why should 

they oppose this level of transparency? 

Let me say that the game is up when 

the Nauruan Government cancels tourist 

visas for Australians and New Zealanders 

because they might see something that 

could be reported. 

Refugee and asylum seeker policy is 

complex. It is also highly political. Both 

the Coalition and the ALP know that 

elections have been won and lost on 

this issue. 

A narrative that creates fear among the 

public by confusing the plight of asylum 

seekers with the issues of security and 

terrorism has helped to reinforce support 

for the Government’s policy. 

The dehumanisation of the asylum 

seekers by Minister Dutton and others 

referring to these people as ‘illegals’, 

combined with cloaking them in secrecy 

in offshore processing, has made it more 

difficult for the Australian public to identify 

with these people. 

The predominance of mental health 

conditions among the problems of 


detainees, including among children, 

does not seem to convey the same 

sense of seriousness as it might if the 

problems were physical. 

A question has to be asked about the 

apparent pervasive indifference to mental 

health conditions despite the promotion, 

discussion and apparent progress that 

has been made in this area. 

Somehow, these asylum seekers seem 

less worthy. The Syrian asylum seekers 

that we can see arriving in Europe or 

waiting in Turkish refugee camps seem 

more human and in need of help. 

I was pleased at the announcement 

that Australia was accepting 12,000 

more Syrian refugees, but disappointed 

that the same indifference to the 

asylum seekers in offshore processing 

centres remains. 

It should be noted that only 26 of 

the 12,000 refugees have actually 

been accepted. 

There is no doubt that hundreds of 

people died at sea while trying to reach 

Australia. No one wants that situation to 

arise again. 

But, as I mentioned previously, there 

is widespread acknowledgement that 

the detention of children has no impact 

on the actions of people smugglers. 

It is also no excuse for the lack of 

transparency and inadequate provision 

of health care to the asylum seekers for 

whom Australia has a responsibility. 

The issue of a boycott in terms of 

providing services to detention facilities 

by Australian doctors has been raised 

a number of times. I don’t agree that is 

the way forward, not just because IHMS 

will recruit from overseas, as it is already 

doing, but for simple reasons. 

for these people because that is what 

doctors do. 

If we want to change the Government’s 

approach, it must be through the weight 

of public opinion. Australians need to 

understand that this is not an argument 

based on political ideology. 

Rather, it is an argument based on our 

Australian identity, not just in terms of 

how the rest of the world sees us, but 

how we see ourselves. It is based on the 

prevention of harm, the welfare of our 

patients as people but, most importantly, 

it is based on compassion. It is the right 

thing to do. 

There will be some who might wonder 

why the AMA has spoken out so strongly 

on this issue. 

As doctors, we care for all people, 

without regard to race or creed, without 

regard to where they come from. That is 

a basic moral tenet of our profession. 

My message to the Government and 

to the Labor Party is this: You need 

to listen to doctors, nurses, and other 

health practitioners - particularly the 

experts in the fields of psychiatry and 

children’s health. 

People are being moved in the middle of 

the night without notice; under a cloak of 

secrecy and intimidation. 

Denying people access to the legal 

representatives. Threatening to forcibly 

remove a baby from Hospital against 

medical advice. Our colleagues are 

being intimidated. It is being done by the 

Australian Government, and it is being 

done in our name. This is happening 

now. It is occurring during our time. 

It’s time for all of us to listen to our 

conscience. To give a voice to our better 

angels. It’s time to say that this is not 

what Australia is, it is not what Australia 

stands for, and we want it to stop. 

Colleagues and friends, it is a simple 

truth that asylum seekers are people like 

me, like you. 

They are no different. Just as our friends 

and colleagues came here seeking 

asylum for themselves and their families, 

to escape persecution and death, so are 

these people. 

But, just like all of the other wrongs, 

Australia’s detention of children and 

our treatment of asylum seekers is 

indefensible because it fails the one 

true test. 

The AMA is calling for the following: 

• A moratorium on asylum seeker children being sent back to detention 

centres. 

• The immediate release of all children from both offshore and onshore 

detention centres into the community where they can be properly cared for. 

• The establishment of a transparent, national statutory body of clinical 

experts, independent of government, with the power to investigate and 

report to the Parliament on the health and welfare of asylum seekers and 

refugees. 

• If the Government or Opposition cannot provide satisfactory health care to 

people seeking asylum, then their policies should be revisited. 

Provision of medical treatment to asylum 

seekers is not condoning the system or 

being complicit. Far from it. Rather, it 

is what doctors and nurses always do. 

They put the patient first. 

As I said at the National Press Club last 

year, it would not matter what we said 

on this issue. Doctors would go and care 

Australia, to me, represents democracy, 

freedom, openness, and accountability. 

A fair go and honesty are sources of 

national pride. 

The reality is that children, and adults, 

are being subjected to physical and 

emotional harm. 

That test is how we love and care for our 

fellow man and woman, and particularly 

how we love, care, and nurture the 

children of this world. dr. 

amansw.com.au I 23

NOTICE 

Notice Of Annual General Meeting 

Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of the Australian Medical 

Association (NSW) Limited will be held at 7pm on Tuesday 10 May 2016 

in the Conference Centre, Ground Floor, AMA house, 69 Christie Street, 

St Leonards. 

AGENDA 

• To receive and adopt minutes of the Annual Meeting, 5 May 2015. 

• To receive and consider the Report of the Board of Directors. 

• To receive and consider the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 

2015, the Statement of Financial Position at that date and the Auditor’s 

Report thereon. 

• To call for nominations for the Positions of Officers of the Association. 

• To appoint a Returning Officer for the election of the Officers of the Association. 

• To transact any other business in conformity with the Constitution of 

the Association. 

• Address by the President. 

• To consider, and if thought fit, to pass Special Resolutions: 

1. AMENDING CLAUSE 35.1, 35.1(x), 35.3 - COMPOSITION OF COUNCIL 

• Clause 35.1 to be amended to increase the number of Councillors from 29 to 34; 

• Clause 35.1(x) to be amended to increase the number of Councillors in the 

Unrestricted General Member Class from six to 11; 

• Clause 35.3 provides for three terms on Council (as opposed to six) and the 

exemption for time spent serving as an Officer of the Association remains; 

NOTE: A member entitled to attend 

and vote at the meeting is entitled 

to appoint a proxy to attend and 

vote instead of the member. A 

proxy must be an ordinary member 

or in the case of a company, 

the Nominated Representative 

of an ordinary member of the 

Association. To be valid, a proxy 

form duly completed and signed 

must be received at the office of the 

Association at Level 6, AMA House, 

69 Christie Street, St Leonards, not 

less than 48 hours before the time 

for holding the meeting. Proxy forms 

must be obtained from the office 

of the Association at Level 6, AMA 

House, 69 Christie St, St Leonards. 

2. AMENDING CLAUSE 36.1, 36.2 – ELECTION OF COUNCIL 

• Clause 36.1 to be amended to reflect the increased number of Councillors; 

• Clause 36.1 requires a candidate for Council to be nominated by one member 

of the Association (as opposed to two or more); 

• Clause 36.1(g) to be amended to reflect the change of requirements for the 

candidate information sheets in the event of a contested election for a position 

or positioner on Council; 

• Clause 36.2 to be amended to delete the reference to the Industrial Relations Act 

1996, as provisions of the Act referred to do not apply to AMA (NSW). 

3. INSERTING NEW CLAUSE 36A – TRANSITIONAL PROVISION 

• Clause 36A provides Council with the power to appoint five members to the 

Unrestricted General Class in 2016. Those persons must vacate office at the 2017 

AGM and those persons may nominate for election in 2017. 

4. AMENDING CLAUSE 50 – NOTICES 

• Clause 50 has been amended to provide for the provision of notices personally, 

by post, by facsimile or electronically and by publication in The NSW Doctor. 

Dated 1 April, 2016 

By Order of the Board 

Fiona Davies 

Chief Executive Officer 


EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM REGARDING THE PROPOSED SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS 

Over the past year the AMA (NSW) has been considering a range of amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws. Constitutional 

change is always something we consider carefully. The Council of the AMA (NSW) has approved putting the following amendments 

to the AGM on 10 May 2016. The AGM is open to all members and provides members with the opportunity to participate in the life 

of the AMA (NSW). 

The proposed changes relate to improving diversity and representation of Council and making the process of applying to Council 

more accessible. 

Diversity and representation 

on Council 

AMA (NSW) acknowledges the 

importance of reflecting the diversity of 

the medical profession within its Council. 

The Council of AMA (NSW) is made up of 

geographic and speciality representatives 

and six nominated representatives from 

the unrestricted class, of whom three 

must be general practitioners. There 

are 29 positions on Council, plus one 

student position. 

The Council of AMA (NSW) is proposing 

the expansion of the Council to create 

five additional unrestricted general 

member positions. While this positions 

will be open to any AMA member, it is 

hoped that the additional positions will 

encourage more members to be involved 

in AMA (NSW) Council. 

The positions will be created as casual 

vacancies in the first instance. This will 

require them to be advertised to the 

membership and then filled by Council. 

From 2017, the positions will be included 

in the standard Council election process. 

Term limits on Council 

In order to improve the engagement of 

members in Council, it is proposed to 

introduce term limits of three consecutive 

Council terms, that is six years, excluding 

time served on the Board. Under the 

current Constitution, the current Council 

term limit is 25 years. 

The Council notes that the extended term 

limit of 25 years is not in keeping within 

its current governance arrangements and 

can impact on the ability of members to 

participate in Council. 

Under the proposed changes, breaks 

in service will not count towards the 

term limits. 

Procedural changes to nominations 

to Council 

To encourage participation in Council, 

it is proposed to amend the current 

processes for application to Council. 

At present, a member must have their 

nomination seconded by at least two 

members. This will be reduced to only 

requiring the seconding of the application 

by one member. 

A member will no longer need to provide 

a statutory declaration to support a 

nomination. Instead, it is proposed that a 

member will only be required to provide 

a statement (which will not need to be 

a statutory declaration) in the event that 

there is an election for a position. The 

form of statement will still be subject to 

defined criteria and will be subject to the 

oversight of the Returning Officer. 

Other incidental changes 

There are also some incidental 

administrative changes proposed, 

including to allow for distribution of 

notices by electronic means. 

amansw.com.au I 25

FEATURE 

The rise of the 

gluten free diet 

What does this mean for Australian doctors? 

While it is tempting to view the 

extraordinary rise in popularity of the 

gluten free diet as just a fascinating 

social phenomenon, there are important 

medical implications that should not 

be missed by doctors at the front line 

of patient care. An astonishing 10% of 

Australians now remove wheat or gluten 

from their diet to some extent. While this 

is often a consequence of perceived 

adverse symptoms to eating gluten, the 

conviction it can help with weight loss, a 

range of diseases or is a ‘healthy’ lifestyle 

choice is frequently propagated by a 

number of non-medical sources, such as 

celebrities and enthusiastic proponents 

on social media. While a strict gluten free 

diet (GFD) is essential for the treatment 

of coeliac disease, an autoimmune illness 

caused by disordered immunity to gluten, 

there is little to support its role for other 

reasons outside anecdote. 

A clinically perverse aspect of this 

phenomenon is that the majority of 

Australians with coeliac disease – who 

have a compelling reason to follow a 

GFD – remain undiagnosed, while many 

of those following a GFD don’t have a 

medically supported reason to do so. As 

the accuracy of both serology and small 

intestinal histology required to diagnose 

coeliac disease require active gluten 

consumption, definitive diagnosis is a 

major challenge for the many Australians 

who have already removed dietary gluten. 

Clinicians need to be confident dealing 

with this increasingly common 

and frustrating challenge. 

Coeliac disease is one of 

Australia’s most common 

autoimmune illnesses, 

affecting 1 in 70 of the population, 

and its prevalence is increasing. Lack 

of awareness and its broad clinical 

presentation means that detection 

is poor, with only 20% of affected 

Australians diagnosed. Delayed diagnosis 

is concerning, as the immune-mediated 

inflammatory response to gluten is 

associated with nutrient deficiencies 

and a range of systemic complications 

including osteoporosis, other 

autoimmune disease (3-fold higher), 

and elevated mortality (2-4-fold higher), 

often due to sepsis or malignancies 

such as lymphoma. The negative impact 

on quality of life, education and work 

performance often goes unappreciated. 

A mean of 11 to 13 years from first 

presentation to diagnosis signifies 

missed opportunities to break the cycle 

of chronic symptoms that can generate 

healthcare costs comparable to those 

incurred by patients with diabetes. 

Diagnosing coeliac disease is the first 

critical step towards combating its 

burden on health, quality of life and 

resources. While population screening 

has its proponents, current guidelines 

recommend an active-case finding 

strategy – seeking those at higher-risk 

for screening serology. With casefinding 

applied in primary care 1:50-1:30 

tests typically return a positive case of 

coeliac disease. Here the most frequent 

presentations are bloating, thyroid 

disease, ‘irritable bowel syndrome’, 

diarrhoea, chronic fatigue and 

constipation. Screening people with highrisk 

features such as first-degree relatives 

of patients with coeliac disease, type 1 

diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome is 

important and cost-effective. 

An algorithm to guide the appropriate 

use of serology, HLA-DQ2/DQ8 

genotyping, and gastroscopy is 

accessible here: www.coeliac.org.au/ 

health-professionals. A care plan and 

chronic disease management template 

can also be downloaded to guide the 

next critical step for GPs: systematic 

follow-up. Making a clear diagnosis of 

coeliac disease is often life-changing. 

Fortunately, a positive effect of the 

expanding market for gluten free foods 

is their improved palatability, affordability 

and availability, making the GFD as a 

medical treatment now more effective 

than ever for our patients. dr. 

Dr Jason Tye-Din is a guest speaker at the MJA Professional Development ‘Emerging Trends in 

Gastroenterology for GPs’ seminar in Melbourne on Saturday 12 March. Coeliac Awareness Week 

will be held 13-20 March. A video for GPs on the diagnosis and new facts sheets are available on 

www.coeliac.org.au/health-professionals/ 


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BMW17184 _131x182_BMW Advantage Press_FA.indd 1 

12/02/2016 9:12 am 

Kuring-gai District Medical Association 

9th Looong Weekend Conference 

MUDGEE 

19-22 May, 2016 

• Stay at the boutique Perry Street Hotel 

• Stimulating conference sessions to be held at the 

Mudgee Golf Club 

• Explore historic Gulgong 

• Visit the wineries 

• Play golf 

• Dine at restaurants famous for fresh local produce - 

Alby & Esthers, The Zin House & Pipeclay Pumphouse 

For further information & registration form please 

contact Lynne O’Halloran at the KDMA office on 

02 9807 4429 or email kdma@netspace.net.au 

BUILD YOUR PRACTICE 

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AT SYDNEY’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS 

MEDICAL ADDRESS 

British Medical Association House 

Suite 101, Level 1 135 Macquarie Street, Sydney 

P: 02 9241 2158 | E: info@sydneymedicalspecialists.com.au 

W: sydneymedicalspecialists.com.au | sydneymedicalspecialists 

amansw.com.au I 27 

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17/12/2015 2:17 pm

MEDICO-LEGAL 

The AMA NSW 

Medico-Legal team 

Milestone in media law 

Andrew Took 

Director 

Medico-Legal 

and Employment 

Relations 

an embarrassment to her profession; 

misused her work email address for 

private purposes and engaged in 

criminal conduct. 

Kym Gardner 

Solicitor 

Andrew Campbell 

Solicitor 

Ivy Tseng 

Policy and Legal 

Advisor 

Sarah Connor 


Advisor 

Katie Pearce 


Advisor 

Sarah Fam 


Advisor 

Eden Weller 

Paralegal Officer 

The South Australian Supreme Court¹ 

has found the American arm of Google 

defamed an Australian academic by 

providing links to and summaries of 

defamatory material. 

Google did not remove defamatory 

search results relating to Dr Janice 

Duffy’s name, after she had notified the 

company of their existence and this was 

key in the court’s findings. 

The case is being heralded as a 

milestone for media law and raises 

questions regarding whose responsibility 

it is to censor possible defamatory 

information. 

The defamation case sprang from posts 

made by Dr Duffy on the US-based 

Ripoff Report website about a number 

of psychics she paid for consultations 

between 2005 and 2007. 

After becoming dismayed and distressed 

due to the results of their predictions 

and advice, Dr Duffy complained about 

a number of the psychics using various 

aliases as well as her real name. 

In response, Dr Duffy was accused 

on the same website of harassing and 

stalking the psychics. 

These allegations of harassment and 

stalking were at the centre of the 

defamation action. 

The pleaded imputations also included 

that she fraudulently and/or maliciously 

accessed other people’s electronic emails 

and materials; spreads lies; threatened 

and manipulated other people; was 

Two years after Dr Duffy 

consulted with the psychics, 

she contacted Google to 

request the removal of 

defamatory search results 

connected with her name. 

She requested summaries of pages listed 

in Google’s search results and links to the 

defamatory content be removed. 

It wasn’t until Dr Duffy launched civil 

action against Google in February 2011 

that it removed links to the Ripoff Report 

connected to her name. 

In July of 2011, Dr Duffy requested that 

Google remove the auto-complete result 

“Janice Duffy Psychic Stalker” offered 

by the search engine in response to 

her name. 

Google failed to do so. 

In court, Google argued that it could not 

be held accountable for the results of its 

search engine because it was produced 

by computerised programs and did not 

involve the intervention of its staff. 

The court rejected this argument, finding 

that Google did have a role in producing 

the content generated in its search 

results and in communicating them to the 

end user. 

Specifically, it was Google’s inaction after 

it was notified of the defamatory content 

that made them the publisher and liable 

for the defamatory content. 

Additionally, the court held that by 

publishing hyperlinks to defamatory 

material that users could click through to, 

Google became a secondary publisher of 

that material. dr. 

¹ Duffy v Google Inc. [2015] SASC 170 


Penalty rates under the 

VMO Determinations 

We have recently received a number of 

enquiries from VMOs regarding loadings 

under the VMO Determinations for 

performing weekend work. The enquiries 

are coming within a context of a push 

by industry bodies in the retail and 

hospitality sectors to abolish weekend 

penalty rates, as well as the much 

publicised striking of junior doctors in 

England’s National Health Service as a 

response to the proposed “seven day 

working week”. 

The VMO Sessional Determination allows 

for a 25% call-back loading for services 

outside the ordinary hours of 8am to 6pm 

Monday to Friday. Similarly, the VMO 

Fee for Service Determination provides 

for 110% of the relevant MBS fee for the 

provision of emergency services outside 

of ordinary hours. 

However, the VMO Determinations 

are silent on the issue of allowances 

for rostered weekend work i.e. prescheduled 

lists or shifts which do not fall 

under the definition of a call-back. 

Of course, it has historically been the 

case that after hours and weekend 

services have been provided by 

VMOs under the on call and call-back 

arrangements. The VMO Determinations 

are based on that historical practice 

and simply do not envisage a situation 

where VMOs are required to provide 

pre-scheduled services. As some public 

hospitals move to schedule weekend 

lists/shifts, more VMOs are likely to have 

concerns regarding weekend work, and 

whether or not they wish to participate in 

such arrangements. 

AMA (NSW) will be considering this issue 

over the next few months and consulting 

with members. 

Should you have any questions or 

concerns regarding remuneration for 

weekend work in the public system, 

please be in contact with the 

Medico-Legal and Industrial team 

at 9439 8822. dr. 

amansw.com.au I 29

XXXXXXXX 

Making a return to work plan 

for injured employees 

Ok, so you run your own practice and things are going smoothly. But what 

would happen if the roof fell in after a freak storm and the practice manager 

breaks her hip? What if she was making a good recovery, but she was 

advised not to sit still or stand still for long periods of time? 

Under the 1988 Workplace 

Injury Management and Workers 

Compensation Act (NSW) employers 

have an obligation to be involved in a 

return to work plan for an employee 

that has been injured in the workplace 

and to make reasonable adjustments 

to the position taking into account the 

employee’s ongoing disability. 

In a recent Victorian case, Butterworth v 

Independence Australia Services (Human 

Rights) [2015], an employer was faced 

with a similar issue under the Victorian 

Equal Opportunity legislation. There, 

the employee sustained serious neck 

and shoulder injuries and thereafter 

the employer had a positive obligation 

to make sincere and reasonable 

adjustments to her workplace activities to 

return her to employment. 

The employee was unable to return to 

the role previously held, being a fulltime 

call centre operator. The employer 

thought as a result they could terminate 

her employment on the grounds that 

she was unable to perform the inherent 

requirements of her position. The Court 

disagreed finding that the employer had 

failed to meet their obligations to the 

injured worker. They failed to adequately 

explore the physical possibilities through 

the questions put to the independent 

medical practitioner who was involved 

in examining her ability to return to 

her previous position. They failed to 

explore what other roles they had in the 

workplace and whether or not she may 

have been able to perform them. The 

Court found that there was no evidence 

they had even considered the possibility 

of reasonable alterations being made to 

enable the employee to return to work. 

In our example above with the practice 

manager, the employer is legislatively 

obliged to actively participate in a return 

to work plan. It may involve allowing a 

gradual return to work initially on lighter 

duties or reduced hours, then once 

further recovery is apparent, an increase 

of those duties. 

To meet their obligations, the employer 

needs to make a genuine and reasonable 

adjustment to the role to cater for the 

employee with a disability. The employer 

should even look into additional training, 

for example a bookkeeping course which 

would allow the practice manager more 

time to sit where they might otherwise be 

on their feet for long periods of time. 

The examples are infinite and there is no 

way to predict every possible scenario, 

but as an employer, you must be sure to 

explore all possibilities and consider the 

reasonable adjustments that you may be 

able to make in the practice to keep the 

employee with a disability fully engaged 

back at work. 

To meet legislative requirements the 

practice should document their policies 

and procedures setting out the process 

to manage employees who are injured 

at work. The key document is called 

the return to work program and it must 

sit in place with the insurer’s injury 

management program. dr. 


INDUSTRY UPDATE 

Moving to greater transparency 

Medicines Australia breaks down how its new Code of Conduct affects doctors. 

The new Medicines Australia Code of 

Conduct will increase transparency 

about the vital role of healthcare 

professionals in the development and 

use of new, innovative medicines. 

Healthcare professionals help to educate 

patients about medicines and their 

safe, ongoing use – a bond of trust that 

Medicines Australia wants to help make 

even stronger. 

From 1 October 2015, all Medicines 

Australia member companies are 

required to collect information about 

healthcare professionals who receive 

payments for consulting or speaker 

services and support to attend 

educational events through the payment 

or provision of airfares, accommodation 

or registration fees. 

Where companies have the agreement 

of the healthcare professional, this 

information will be published in a report 

on the individual company’s website. 

For the first year, this reporting will 

only happen with the agreement of 

the healthcare professional. This is to 

allow time for everyone to understand 

and appreciate the value of greater 

transparency. From 1 October 2016, 

reporting these payments will be 

mandatory – details will be reported 

whenever a Reportable Payment is made 

to a healthcare professional. 

REPORTABLE PAYMENTS 

UNDER THE NEW CODE: 

Payments for the provision of services by 

a healthcare professional: 

• Giving a lecture or presentation 

• Chairing an educational meeting 

• Providing advice as a member of an 

Advisory Board 

• Providing advice to a company as a 

medical expert 

Sponsorship to attend medical education 

meetings held within or outside of 

Australia, including: 

• Airfares 

• Accommodation 

• Conference registration fees 

The following information about each 

healthcare professional will be reported: 

• Healthcare professional’s name 

• Type of healthcare professional (i.e. 

medical practitioner, pharmacist, nurse) 

• Principal practice address 

• Relevant details about the purpose of 

the payment 

• The amount or value of the payment 

or support 

Where healthcare professionals request 

a Reportable Payment to be made to a 

third party, such as their hospital or clinic, 

these reportable payments must still be 

disclosed for the individual healthcare 

professional noting that the payment 

was made to a third party. 

REPORTING OF PAYMENTS TO 

HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS 

If a payment needs to be reported, 

companies will provide healthcare 

professionals with the opportunity to 

review and submit corrections before 

publication. Payments will be reported 

every six months, with two reports 

each year covering May to October and 

November to April. The first report will be 

published by 31 August 2016. 

Reports will be available for three years 

following publication on individual 

company websites and linked from the 

Medicines Australia website. Companies 

must comply with the Australian Privacy 

legislation (Privacy Act 1988 [Cth]) in 

regard to reporting individual healthcare 

professional data. From 1 October 2015, 

each company must establish a means 

to track whether consent has been given 

and maintain records which comply with 

Australia’s privacy legislation. 

IMPROVING HEALTH 

OUTCOMES AND BUILDING 

CONFIDENCE WITH PATIENTS 

The 18th Code of Conduct is a strong 

Code that builds on trust and ensures we 

continue to put the interests of patients 

first. Exchanging knowledge and skills 

leads to better treatments and increases 

a healthcare professional’s expertise, 

which means patients can be even more 

confident they’re getting the best of care. 

Companies support the education of 

healthcare professionals to develop 

knowledge and skills, which is important 

for patient care in a rapidly changing 

world. Companies also need advice 

from healthcare professionals, which 

leads to new and better medicines 

and treatments. 

Greater transparency will increase 

confidence by patients that the 

working relationship between the 

industry and healthcare professionals 

is ethical and appropriate. dr. 

Deborah Monk 

Director, Compliance 

Medicines Australia 

amansw.com.au I 31

GOLF EVENTS 

New golfers 

welcome 

The AMA (NSW) Golf Society is 

back in full swing. Please join us 

for another exciting year of golf. 

Are you a golfer, why not come along to our next 

event and try us out? We always welcome new 

players, you don’t need to be an AMA (NSW) Golf 

Society member to play, but you do need an official 

slope rating. 

If you would like to register for our events or if 

you have any queries about the AMA (NSW) 

Golf Society, please contact Claudia Gillis on 

amagolf@amansw.com.au or 

ph: 02 9439 8822 dr. 

PRESIDENTS CUP // Tuesday 21st June 

Pennant Hills Golf Club 

SPRING CUP // Thursday 1st September 

Terrey Hills Golf Club 

INTERNATIONAL SHIELD // 22nd to 30th October 

New Zealand 

BMA CUP // Friday 2nd December 

NSW Golf Club 

AMA (NSW) Golf Society 

Claudia Gillis 9439 8822 amagolf@amansw.com.au 

Save up to 

10% 

on the RRP 

of most new 

cars. 

TDABS0001 

Call 1300 76 49 49 or visit www.avbs.com.au 

Avb s 

AustrAlAsiAn 

AustrAlAsiAn 

VEHIclE BUYING SERVIcES 

Preferred provider 

This is an exclusive member service and is available on all makes and models of new cars 


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Disclaimer: This information is of a general nature only and has been prepared without taking into account your particular financial needs, circumstances and objectives. While every 

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amansw.com.au I 33

MEMBERS 

A warm welcome to all of our 

new members this month 

Get more from your membership today and utilise our medico-legal and 

industrial relations team for advice, our preferred partner advantages, 

member services and events throughout the year. To find out more phone 

our membership team on 02 9439 8822. 

INTERNS 

Dr Jodie Adams-Brinkley 

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Dr Jessica Thompson 

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Dr John Thurgood 

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Dr Kirsty Wallace-Hor 

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Dr Qian Wang 

Dr Lucy Wang 

Dr Lakna Waniganayake 

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Dr Joshua Watt 

Dr Kieran Webb-Sawyer 

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Dr Aman Williams 

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Dr Eleanor Woodward 

Dr Yuan Yan 

Dr Michael Yang 

Dr Andrew Young 

Dr Tracey Zakazakaarcher 

Dr Zang-Yuan Zhao 

Dr Wei Claire Zheng 

Dr Cathy Zheng 

Dr Cheng Rui Zhou 

Dr Yun Yun Zhu 


OTHER MEMBERS 

Dr Gaini Allen 

Dr Shervin Amirmalek 

Dr Shreya Andric 

Dr Azadeh Azadi 

Dr Sajid Azam 

Dr Pedro Bernardino-Campos 

Dr Katie Bluett 

Dr Christopher Chang 

Dr Mark Chernoff 

Dr Henry Cheung 

Dr Yuxuan Chew 

Dr Joseph Churton 

Dr Marilyn Clarke 

Dr Lachlan Cornford 

Dr Ramachandra Dandu 

Dr Indira Datt 

Dr Michael Davies 

Dr Rene Dostal 

Dr Chris Fessa 

Dr Vineeth George 

Dr Elizabeth Golez 

Dr Murray Haar 

Dr Abbas Haghshenas 

Dr Brendan Hayman 

Dr Edward Hsiao 

Dr Andy Huang 

Dr Louise Jackett 

Dr Julia Jones 

Dr Halvita Kariyawasam 

Dr Syeda Kazmi 

Dr Benjamin Kenny 

Dr Ke-Hwan Kim 

Dr Stephen Koder 

Dr Shangeetha Kumaresan 

Dr Elaine Kwan 

Dr Sebastianus Kwon 

Dr Ivan Lakicevic 

Dr Harold Lau 

Dr Katelyn Lee 

Dr Andrew Li 

Dr Jiun-Lih Lin 

Dr Mohamed Loghdey 

Dr Brett Lurie 

Dr Maria Martino 

Dr Anil Mathad 

Dr Magdy Maximos 

Dr Nicholas Maytom 

Dr Rowena Mobbs 

Dr Ammar Mortada 

Dr Charles Nelson 

Dr Brooke O’Brien 

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Dr Yoon Ooi 

Dr Chandrasekhara 

Padmakumar 

Dr Dominic Pak 

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Dr Martina Preda 

Dr Sandeep Rajagopal 

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Dr Prasenjit Raychaudhuri 

Dr Caroline Round 

Dr Radhika Ruwanpathirana 

Dr Jan Samson 

Dr Trent Sandercoe 

Dr Nabil Sarian 

Dr Nahida Sarkar 

Dr Sunny Sharma 

Dr Sachin Shetty 

Dr Louis Shidiak 

Dr Kathryn Teh 

Dr Sureka Thiagalingam 

A/Prof Gordon Thomas 

Dr Rameswaran Vannitamby 

Dr Sanjeev Vijayan 

Dr Amy Virdi 

Dr Joyce Voon 

Dr Pauline Vunipola 

Dr Meng Wan 

Dr George Williams 

Dr David Woods 

Dr Anes Yang 

Dr Po-Chen Yang 

Dr King Lee Yong 

Dr Christine Zhang 

The AMA (NSW) offers 

condolences to family 

and friends of those 

AMA members who have 

recently passed away. 

Dr Betty Boden 

Dr John Carmody 

Dr Clair Chalmers 

Dr Ross Chambers 

Dr Kenneth Crichton 

Dr Trevor Day 

Dr Alice Lowe 

Dr John Newlinds 

Dr James Quinn 

CLASSIFIEDS 

General Medical Practitioner // McMahons Point 

• Required for boutique multi-disciplinary 

practice in McMahons Point 

• VR/Non VR. Must be ethical and 

patient focused 

• Just short walk from Nth Sydney 

station and buses. Close to ferry and 

private schools 

• Especially friendly team with 

experienced delightful reception staff 

Three designated consulting rooms 

available in free standing converted house 

Has been used for specialist orthopaedic 

practice for over 35 years 

Close proximity to Auburn Hospital – 

less than 5 minutes walk 

• Off street parking 

• Ground level access – ramp access 

• Large waiting room 

• Part-time, flexible hours 

• Guaranteed hourly rate for the first 

three months 

For further information please 

send your enquiry to dredwina@ 

mcmahonspointhealth.com.au 

Consulting/Professional Rooms // Full/Part Time // Auburn 

General Practitioner // Skin Cancer 

Join SunDoctors and become part 

of a group of doctors changing the 

face of skin cancer. Step into established 

and very busy clinics, booked out weeks 

in advance. 

• Multiple locations 

• Flexible hours 

• Large fully equipped office area and 

records rooms 

• Both public and staff toilets 

• Kitchen facilities 

• Practice management & reception 

services available 

Contact Vicki 

(02) 9649 6488 

catab@bigpond.net.au 

• Flexible contract 

• No fixed terms or restraints 

• High earning capacity 

• Ongoing professional development 

1300 115 759 

recruitment@sundoctors.com.au 

SEEKING: Doctors for Noosa Hospital, 

Sunshine Coast QLD to care for 

hospital in-patients. 

FT, PT & casual positions available. 

Must have general/specialist 

registration with AHPRA. 

Further information at 

www.ramsaydocs.com.au 

or contact Jude Emmer, CEO at 

ea.noh@ramsayhealth.com.au 

Burwood Specialist Centre // 

Consulting Suites For Lease 

Modern suites in the heart of Burwood’s 

medical precinct. 

• Suites on a sessional basis 

• Secure parking 

• Full practice management services 

• Meet/greet/billing patients 

• Appointment booking 

• Transcription/posting letters 

• Filing/storage of patient records 

• Home sleep study facility 

• BAS statement preparation 

• Private hospital billing 

Contact Raji 

0401 144 119 or 

bcentre@tpg.com.au 

amansw.com.au I 35

MEMBER SERVICES 

Make your membership more rewarding everyday! 

Experien Insurance Services 

Experien Insurance Services specialises in offering a comprehensive range of personal and 

practise insurance products, via access to all the major insurers, to protect yourself and your 

family’s future well being. We are specialist insurance advisers to medical professionals and have 

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p has its rewards 

of your unique needs and requirements. 

edico-Legal and Employment Relations advice in Australia. 

e include awards advice and updates, court representation, 

comprehensive Our services range of legal include: packages and draft contracts 

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e onal of 

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gence 

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ent 

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a cheque equal to 25% and Diesel of the and new 1.5cpl member’s off Vortex 98. 

n of 

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subscription via our Member Get Member 

of program. There are Hertz no limits. 

As the 

Sydney 

official 

City 

car rental 

Lexus 

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can enjoy the benefits 

Hertz offers discounted rates and a range 

of the Lexus Corporate Programme, including Encore 

of member benefits all year round. 

ll AMA (NSW) Member Services Privileges. on An (02) exclusive 9439 offer 8822 in conjunction with Qantas 

) 

n areas) 4www.nswama.com.au 

Qantas is available Club to AMA members - earn one Qantas Point 

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Discounted for every rates dollar for spent AMA members. on a new vehicle purchase, only at 

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Save Sydney up to $365 City on Lexus. membership. 

s, 

Fees as follows: Joining $200; 

One year $265; Two years $465. 

Avis Budget | Avis Budget is the official car rental partner 

for AMA (NSW) offering discounted rates. Contact AMA 

member services for the details. 

ns: 

25 % REBATE 

Introduce a new member to AMA (NSW) and receive 

36 a cheque I THE equal NSW to 25% DOCTOR of the I new MARCH/APRIL member’s 2016 

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AMA (NSW) has the most comprehensive Medico-Legal and Em 

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mediation and human resource consulting. A comprehensive rang 

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For more information please don’t hesitate to contact our Members Services team on 02 9439 AMA 8822 (NSW) Member Service P 

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A free service specialising in the 

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Experien makes Insurance and models Services of motor vehicles. 

Specialist insurance advisers to the medical and dental 

professions. Our service includes researching all the major 

insurers Assign to find Medical you the right policy with the appropriate 

level Assists of cover members at the best to possible source price. competent, Products include 

Life Insurance, Income Protection, Medical Indemnity and 

friendly and committed staff for your 

Business Insurance. 

business or practice. 

Commonwealth Bank 

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A special merchant facility at low rates. AMA members pay 

no Offering joining fee. a New special CBA merchant clients facility are at eligible a to 6 

months low fee free of terminal 0.68% rental for and most a free credit business cards. account 

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settle the funds to a CBA account. 

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solutions for practice requirements, motor 

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rates vehicles, with no commercial/residential joining fee and savings of $100 property per year. 

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