Viva Cuba!
Cuba is becoming a tourist holiday destination in its own right – but be quick to get there before the throngs arrive, writes Shannon McKenzie.
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Shannon McKenzie
News Articles
GPs will end mental health plans if rebate cuts go ahead
MORE than one in four GPs will stop drawing up mental health plans for patients if the Federal Government goes ahead with plans to slash the associated Medicare rebates, an AMA survey has revealed. And more than half believe the measure will force them to spend less time with their patients. The statistics, drawn from a survey of more than 700 GPs, were revealed by AMA president Dr Steve Hambleton during his address to the National Press Club. “The government’s decision ...
DIY doctors posting videos on YouTube
THE Internet has given rise to a new breed of DIY doctors, the Canadian Medical Association Journal reports, and their brand of backyard medicine is gaining a worrying amount of traction. Motivated by financial hardships, long waiting times or a desire for a more active role in their own healthcare, a growing number of patients are choosing to treat their health complaints themselves - and share this knowledge with the wider public. Clips of DIY procedures are appearing on video-sharing websites such as YouTube, and are showcasing everything from the removal of stitches to makeshift ...
Lucky escape for Lockyer Valley practice
AS residents and businesses in flood-ravaged Queensland begin the heart-breaking clean-up of their communities, GPs at one practice in the Lockyer Valley are counting their blessings. The Withcott Medical Centre had floodwater reach its front doors, but apart from losing phones and communications for two days, the practice was untouched. “You could say it was a very lucky escape,” said practice principal Dr Janus Van Heerden. “We couldn’t get to the practice for two days. When we came in we had to sweep the debris off the driveway, but then we were pretty much up and ...
In times of crisis, GPs can be natural leaders
AS the devastation and human tragedy of the Queensland floods continues to unfold, down in Marysville, Victoria, GP Dr Lachlan Fraser can empathise more than most. In early 2009, Dr Fraser lost both his home and practice in the Black Saturday bushfires, and knows well the hard road that Queensland communities now face. It is nearly two years since the bushfires swept through the state, claiming 173 lives and destroying thousands of homes. “We still haven’t fully recovered,” he told MO , noting the psychological and social effects of the natural disaster are ongoing. ...
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Gillard’s test: effective health reform
AFTER the swift toppling of Kevin Rudd, Australia now has its first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the country is eagerly waiting to see what kind of leader she will be. Doctors in particular will be scrutinising her words for clues as to how she plans to move forward with the National Health and Hospitals Network plan, and what degree of involvement they may be afforded. Given one of her first acts as Prime Minister was to call a truce with the mining industry and invite its chiefs to renegotiate the Resources Super Profits Tax, the signs are good that she ...
Reform delay suits Rudd, not health system
WHAT does 2010 have in store for the health sector? A Federal takeover of all hospitals? A new social health insurance system for all Australians? New health one-stop shops springing up all over the country? None of the above? All of the above?While 2008 was marked by the establishment of overlapping commissions and committees on health system reform, 2009 was marked by radical proposals from said commissions and committee, followed by extensive, and seemingly endless, consultation. Indeed the 87th community consultation on health reform took place in Fremantle last Thursday.Without downplaying the need to consult on and refine the proposals ...
AGPN should decide whose side it’s on
AS yet more rumblings of discontent emerge from within the divisions, perhaps it is time for the AGPN to begin a frank discussion on exactly who it represents. According to the AGPN website, more than 95% of GPs are members of their local division, making the network “the largest voice for general practice in Australia”. A voice for general practice – clear enough, one would think. Unfortunately that might need a rethink. Last year, when quizzed about GP representation, former AGPN chief executive Kate Carnell told MO: “We are not a member advocacy group, we are service deliverers. We advocate on behalf of divisions.” Divisions whose membership consists largely ...
Residents grill government over super clinic realities
WHEN health minister Nicola Roxon visited Grafton to talk about a $5 million super clinic, more than 150 residents came to listen. It was the largest turnout to such a consultation to date, and hearing these residents talk about health services, it’s no surprise why. Local GPs closed their books years ago, forcing newcomers to present at the Grafton Base Hospital emergency department for even the most minor of illnesses. An inevitable revolving door situation has developed, where chronically ill patients are patched up and discharged, only to deteriorate and return. Those with a GP will most likely still face out-of-pocket expenses, as few doctors in the town bulk-bill. Mental health ...
While government fiddles the rural crisis continues to burn
AN ad hoc approach to reform is never to be recommended, but the Rudd government’s committee culture is unlikely to be held up as a model of best practice either. When the government came to power, it made health system reform a priority. However, to date, its only priority appears to have been setting up a catalogue of commissions, taskforces and advisory groups. Where primary care and preventive health reform are concerned, this action is arguably defendable. The proposed reforms are sweeping and will have a lasting impact. Perhaps time should be taken to get it right. But where there is a crisis ...