AMA (NSW)

14/10/2025

COURAGE NEEDED: In an interview with ABC Riverina, AMA (NSW) vice president and surgeon Dr Fred Betros calls for “political bravery” and long-term thinking to address the growing tide of hospital presentations and admissions across the state.
“Sequential governments have seen health as a cost, but it’s also an investment in keeping your society healthy,” he said.
NSW needs proper investment in preventive health measures and a commitment to stemming burgeoning chronic conditions such as obesity, liver and lung disease to reduce hospital admissions.
Earlier this year, the government’s own report, the Special Commission of Inquiry into Healthcare Funding, recommended preventive health be made a whole of government priority and all new initiatives be informed by a multi-agency body which must consider any impacts on the health and wellbeing of the population. Justice Beasley recommended this approach be implemented with 12 months.

10/10/2025

PEOPLE POWER: The towns of Mudgee and Gulgong in the state's central west were desperate for general practitioners.
In a bid to attract them, Kate Day, pictured at left, led a robust community campaign, supported by local business operators who threw in cash incentives and personalised help.
The push is now paying off, but why are our regional and remote residents being left to fight their own healthcare battles?
We talk to those involved in the next edition of NSW Doctor, out soon.

09/10/2025

PRIVATE SERVICES CALL: AMA (NSW) is calling on the NSW Government to ensure Northern Beaches Hospital continues to provide private health services – as part of an original promise given to community members and doctors.
The hospital was established in 2018 with the intention that its operator would run public and private health services for 20 years.
At the end of that time, public services would be handed back to the NSW Government and the operator would continue to provide private hospital services.
That plan still has 13 years to run.
“The community was promised it would have access to public and private health services for two decades. Doctors were promised they would have options in the way they delivered care to the patients of the Northern Beaches,” AMA (NSW) president Dr Kathryn Austin said.
Northern Beaches Hospital head of maternity Dr David Jollow said many staff now felt adrift.
“We know there must be change, but there are real fears many staff, who have been providing excellent care to the community for the past seven years, will now leave,” he said.
“Senior medical staff agree that Northern Sydney Local Health District should run the public component of the hospital, but more than 200 senior medical staff passed a resolution recently seeking the continuation of private services for the community.”
AMA (NSW) is calling for the NSW Government to make a commitment to the people of the Northern Beaches that they will continue to have choices in how they receive their healthcare.

08/10/2025

SURGERY DELAYS: The front page of today's Newcastle Herald, featuring AMA (NSW) vice president and surgeon Dr Fred Betros, highlights a troubling issue being felt across the state.
A lack of appropriate funding for elective surgery is resulting in significant and debilitating delays for patients.
Yesterday’s NSW Government announcement of a $30 million investment in short stay surgery was more boom to bust reactive health funding without any commitment to long-term planning in workforce and structural reform.
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/9084127/surgery-delays-at-john-hunter-hospital-reflect-a-growing-crisis/?cspt=1759962114%7C6c6d598b89a3408b3c893910826b2245

07/10/2025

STATEMENT FROM
AMA (NSW) PRESIDENT DR KATHRYN AUSTIN: Today's NSW Government announcement of a $30 million investment in short stay surgery is yet another example of reactive health funding. While any effort to improve access to care is welcome, without long-term planning, workforce investment and structural reform, this will be a temporary solution to a permanent problem.
This announcement reflects a familiar pattern. A crisis builds, the NSW Government makes a small investment and our doctors, nurses and allied health staff are left to urgently fit in additional patients.
This is not reform; it’s damage control.
The health system is in chronic distress, and one-off injections do not fix the underlying issues. We need a sustained, system-wide strategy, not another round of short-term relief.
The latest Bureau of Health Information report shows the consequences of this approach. Only 66.1 per cent of non-urgent surgeries were performed on time, down from 82.4 per cent in the same quarter the previous year. Emergency departments remain overwhelmed, with only 33.1 per cent of patients leaving within six hours. In some urban hospitals, one in 10 patients spent more than 13 hours in emergency care.
These figures are not just disappointing; they are dangerous. Delayed surgery means delayed recovery, prolonged pain, and worsening health.
The system is stretched, the workforce is exhausted, and patients are being let down.
Short stay surgery centres can help, but they are not a silver bullet. They must be part of a broader strategy that includes workforce expansion, hospital capacity and long-term investment.
AMA (NSW) is also calling on the Federal Government to provide greater support. It must appropriately contribute to the long-term sustainability of public hospital activity and commit to rebuilding surgical capacity, not just patching it up when the numbers get too bad to ignore.

07/10/2025

STARTING OUT: Are you a final year medical student about to jump into the complexities of pay, overtime and working conditions?
Join us on Wednesday, October 15 from 7pm for a 45-minute webinar on understanding your entitlements, navigating award conditions and ensuring you are being paid correctly.
Learn how your pay is calculated; what counts as overtime and how to claim it correctly; and how to read your pay slip.
We'll also talk about common underpayment issues; conditions of work under the Public Hospital Medical Officers Award and how AMA (NSW) can support you with workplace concerns.
To register, please click here: https://www.stickytickets.com.au/kbl95/ama_nsw_webinar_medical_students_pay_and_conditions.aspx

05/10/2025

LEGACY OF KINDNESS: On Friday, Grafton farewelled one of its “most distinguished citizens”, surgeon Dr Bill Costello, known by locals for accepting payment for his services with fish, beef and eggs.
An AMA (NSW) member for 51 years, Dr Costello is remembered as "a quietly spoken hero" and a deeply compassionate doctor who always put his patients first, no matter the hour.
His surgical career began in 1956, not long before he found his other professional passion – Angus beef cattle.
Over the course of several decades, Dr Costello balanced his pioneering surgical work at Grafton Hospital with running one of the region’s most respected Angus studs.
For his medical and agricultural contributions, he received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1998 and the Centenary Medal in 2003.
A speech marking his life will be made by local MP Richie Williamson in NSW parliament during the next sitting week, starting October 14.
Dr Costello, who was 98, is survived by his wife Margaret, children and grandchildren.

04/10/2025

STUDENT OF THE YEAR: Congratulations to Chloe Campbell for winning NSW Medical Student of the Year awarded by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.
Chloe grew up on a remote sheep and cattle farm near Bombala, with few mentors.
She completed a nursing degree before setting her sights on medicine - and helping others do the same.
Now a fifth year medical student, Chloe founded and runs the Boots to Scrubs scholarship program aimed at inspiring, empowering and supporting rural women to pursue careers as rural doctors.
For more information on the program, please visit:
https://www.bootstoscrubs.com/

03/10/2025

A FEW QUESTIONS WITH LUNCH: Thanks to paediatric registrar Devin Deo at The Children's Hospital at Westmead for allowing us to visit today and share information on our 2025 Hospital Health Check survey for doctors-in-training.
Thanks also for encouraging so many doctors-in-training to complete our survey, which assesses working conditions and helps keep hospitals accountable.
It only takes a few minutes to complete so if you're a doctor-in-training and are yet to fill it in, please do so by clicking here:
https://research.orima.com/ama-nsw-hhc-2025

03/10/2025

DECISION WELCOMED: We welcome today’s decision by the Industrial Relations Commission to grant staff specialist psychiatrists a temporary 10 per cent retention and recruitment allowance on top of the existing onerous hours arrangements.
We hope this interim arrangement assists with attracting and keeping psychiatrists in our public hospitals, and we acknowledge all doctors who continued to provide care throughout the dispute.

The government has said it would honour the Industrial Relations Commission’s verdict.

02/10/2025

BETTER ACCESS: Ensuring patients can receive healthcare close to home is a priority for AMA (NSW).
This week, CEO Fiona Davies and policy manager Marita O’Toole attended a joint meeting with associations supporting rural doctors and health access across Australia.
This meeting was joined by Independent MP for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr, who is spearheading a rural and regional health plan.
His plan aims to reform rural and regional healthcare and “give country communities the support they need”.
It builds on recommendations from the Legislative Assembly Select Committee into Remote, Rural and Regional Health and includes having a general practitioner in every town, health services being provided by locals and a watchdog for rural health.
From this week’s meeting, an open letter will be sent to NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park.

02/10/2025

PAY AND CONDITIONS: Are you a final year medical student navigating the complexities of pay, overtime and working conditions?
Join us on Wednesday, October 15 from 7pm for a Zoom webinar on understanding your entitlements, navigating award conditions and ensuring you are being paid correctly.
Topics will include: how your pay is calculated; what counts as overtime and how to claim it correctly; understanding your pay slip and common underpayment issues; conditions of work under the Public Hospital Medical Officers Award and how AMA (NSW) can support you with workplace concerns
To register, please click here: https://www.stickytickets.com.au/kbl95/ama_nsw_webinar_medical_students_pay_and_conditions.aspx