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2007
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Woeful road statistics must stop (Herald Sun, letter to the editor)
28/12/200728 December 2007 More people have died on Victorian roads this holiday season than in any other State. With six deaths up to Wednesday night – the latest a young nurse in the city – we make up 33 per cent of all Australian road fatalities. This...
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Drink safely this festive season
23/12/200723 December 2007 Victorians are being urged to consume alcohol responsibly this festive season to avoid risking become another statistic of alcohol-related injury or disease. “It is going to be a long, hot summer and we just want to remind people to...
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Stay healthy this festive season
22/12/200722 December 2007 AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis, is urging Victorians to stay hydrated, healthy and safe while enjoying festive season celebrations. “Every festive season, doctors see patients with the same medical problems that could be prevented,”...
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Sex education should be a class act (Border Mail, opinion)
20/12/200720 December 2007 The Grim Reaper was a shocking but most necessary guest in our living rooms when the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign was launched 20 years ago. The TV commercial touched a nerve. Once seen it was never forgotten – terrified people of all...
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Hot water best for bluebottle stings
20/12/200720 December 07 Medical research occasionally throws up a treatment that is completely counter-intuitive. Last year, researchers proved that hot water immersion for twenty minutes is the most effective way to relieve the pain of bluebottle stings — overturning...
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Fine line between happiness and heartbreak
16/12/200716 December 2007 The annual office party could mean the difference between happiness and heartbreak this season, the President of AMA Victoria, Dr Doug Travis, said today. “Office parties are great but employers and employees must be mindful of the tragedies...
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Act now on violence (The Age, letter to the editor)
07/12/2007Warm weather, alcohol, gang mentality, taunts and knives. What a cocktail! It's lethal, and it's right on our doorstep. The rise in community violence is a major worry. The impact on doctors and staff in emergency departments is enormous. These senseless attacks,...
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Lethal cocktail ready to explode (Herald Sun, letter to the editor)
07/12/2007Warm weather, alcohol, gang mentality, taunts and knives. What a cocktail! It's lethal, and it's on our doorstep. The rise in community violence is a major worry. The impact on doctors and staff in emergency departments is enormous. These senseless attacks....
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World Aids Day: AMA Victoria calls for better sex education in schools
29/11/200729 November 2007 AMA Victoria is calling for better sex education in Victorian schools to raise awareness of rising HIV/AIDS infection rates across the state. “HIV/AIDS is still a serious disease with no cure, so awareness and prevention is the only...
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AMA Victoria welcomes Nicola Roxon as new Health Minister
29/11/200729 November 2007 AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis welcomed the appointment today of Nicola Roxon as Labor’s new Health Minister. “Ms Roxon understands health issues and the specifics of Victoria’s health system,” Dr Travis said....
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We need more beds (The Age, letter to the editor)
29/11/200729 November 2007 The State Government has added only 61 extra beds to Victorian public hospitals in the last six years and the resulting capacity issues are creating strains in our emergency departments (“Patients wait as demand strains hospitals”,...
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Doctors welcome new beds
21/11/200721 November 2007 AMA Victoria welcomes the State Government’s announcement today to open 46 extra hospital beds at the new Royal Children’s Hospital. AMA Victoria President, Dr Doug Travis, said extra beds are welcome to improve the health care...
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Victoria’s hospitals need more than talk
15/11/200715 November 2007 Victoria’s hospitals need more than talk, according to AMA Victoria. “Victorian hospitals have capacity problems, we have an increasing population and we have growing waiting lists,” said AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis,...
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Smoke in cars stinks (The Age, letter to the editor)
10/11/200710 November 2007 The State Government has an important role to play in regulating cigarette smoke (The Age, 9/ 11) and needs to protect children from harmful toxins and ban smoking in cars when a child is present. We have legislated to protect workers, diners...
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Men can live longer
09/11/20079 November 2007 A good relationship with a GP is the key to further reducing the life expectancy gab between men and women, says AMA Victoria, after an ABS report today revealed men are living longer. “Public health campaigns have had an important role...
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Candidates must reveal rural health plans, says AMA Victoria
08/11/20078 November 2007 Victorian election candidates need to reveal their rural health rescue plans, according to AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis. Dr Travis was commenting after the Federal AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, today urged the major parties...
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Deficits shows poor hospital planning
01/11/20071 November 2007 Deficits reported by several of Melbourne’s major public hospital operators show increased demand and poor government planning, says AMA Victoria. AMA Victoria President, Dr Doug Travis, says the State Government has not planned adequately...
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Private surgery won’t fix Victoria’s public hospital problems
01/11/20071 November 2007 AMA Victoria says Kevin Rudd’s $100m elective surgery blitz plan, announced yesterday, should focus on utilising under-resourced facilities in Victoria’s public hospitals rather than allowing states to purchase additional capacity...
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Adequate health planning essential to support population increase
30/10/200730 October 2007 AMA Victoria is urging the state government to plan for adequate health services to accommodate Melbourne’s unprecedented population increase. This increase, due to migration and rising birth rates, is adding 1000 people to Victoria’s...
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Obesity is not a moral issue (Herald Sun, letter to the editor)
25/10/200725 October 2007 Contrary to the assertions of Mirko Bagaric ("Losing it in the fat wars", October 23), moral judgments around obesity play no part in doctors' decisions to recommend surgery. Obesity is a physical condition that substantially alters...
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Political gain on tobacco unacceptable, says AMA Victoria & Quit
24/10/200724 October 2007 The Australian Medical Association Victoria and Quit today called on all Victorian political parties and independent candidates to declare that they have not, and will not, accept donations from tobacco companies, employees of tobacco companies,...
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Government funds could ease Ballarat’s GP shortage
19/10/200719 October 2007 AMA Victoria is calling on the Federal Government to invest in long term strategies to ease Ballarat’s GP shortage. AMA Victoria President, Dr Doug Travis, says funding for more GP training places is essential to provide general practice...
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All elective surgery matters, says AMA Victoria
11/10/200711 October 2007 AMA Victoria is disappointed by Health Minister Daniel Andrews’ statement in Parliament yesterday that the government “will continue to invest in the elective surgery that matters”. “I would like to know what elective...
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Budget surplus signals perfect time for Victorian health investment
11/10/200711 October 2007 AMA Victoria congratulates the Victorian Government on its better-than-expected budget figures and says it should take this opportunity to invest in Victorians’ health. “Victoria needs a substantial injection of funds to improve...
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AMA Victoria President to speak with Gippsland doctors about local issues
09/10/20079 October 2007 AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis will meet with doctors in Gippsland over the next two days and hear their concerns about issues local doctors are facing. Dr Travis’ Gippsland tour starts in Sale today and he will visit Traralgon,...
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Christine Nixon to lead media skills conference
09/10/20079 October 2007 Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon will lead AMA Victoria’s Communications and Media Skills Conference in the hills of the Yarra Valley on 24 to 25 November. The conference is designed to provide healthcare professionals...
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World Mental Health Day: A good day to think about mental health
09/10/20079 October 2007 AMA Victoria is encouraging Victorians to take time out on World Mental Health Day, Wednesday 10 October, to think about their own mental health. Dr Doug Travis, AMA Victoria President, says mental health is an important part of overall health...
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GPs in need helpful in deed (The Age, letter to the editor)
08/10/20078 October 2007 KARRIN Amodeo (Letters, 6/ 10) blames the Australian Medical Association for the system of sending newly arrived overseas-trained doctors to rural locations and other "areas of need". It is, in fact, a Government system, designed to...
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Hospitals report shows improvements needed
04/10/20074 October 2007 AMA Victoria welcomes the state government’s sixth edition of the Your Hospitals report which highlights areas for improvement and the chronic lack of funding for Victoria’s public hospitals. “It’s a real credit to the...
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Hand washing key to good infection control
03/10/20073 October 2007 AMA Victoria welcomes today’s state government announcement that hospital visitors and staff will be required to use alcohol hand rubs before entering Victorian hospitals. AMA Victoria President, Dr Doug Travis, says this is an important...
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Stronger penalties needed for Victorian healthcare worker assaults
02/10/20072 October 2007 AMA Victoria is calling on the government to match South Australia’s proposal to introduce double penalties for assaulting health and emergency workers. Under the South Australian proposal, assaults on health and emergency room workers...
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Funding key issue in Victorian hospitals
02/10/200702 October 2007 Victorian hospitals already have local boards with local CEOs, says AMA Victoria. The Federal Government proposals will make no difference to the governance structures for Victorian hospitals; the key issues with Victorian hospitals are about...
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International medical graduates integral to provision of Victorian healthcare
27/09/200727 September 2007 International medical graduates are integral to the provision of Victorian healthcare and medical boards have a responsibility to keep the community safe through appropriate and prompt screening, AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis says....
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AMA Victoria supports bonuses for cutting waiting lists
25/09/200725 September 2007 The Australian Medical Association Victoria supports the federal government’s initiative to pay state government bonuses for reduced public hospital waiting lists. AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis said this is much-needed funding...
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Doctors encourage Victorians to walk to work on 5 October
25/09/200724 September 2007 The Australian Medical Association Victoria is encouraging individuals, businesses and organisations to take part in national Walk to Work Day on Friday 5 October 2007. “Getting people on their feet is a great way to improve physical...
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Doctors back car-free day
05/09/20075 September 2007 The Australian Medical Association Victoria has welcomed plans for a car-free day in Melbourne’s CBD. “This is an opportunity to encourage more CBD workers and shoppers to walk more, use public transport and bikes,” AMA Victoria...
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Confidentiality of medical records
27/08/2007privacy, confidentiality of medical records
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Baby boom highlights need for more beds and better planning
15/08/2007Lack of capacity to meet the needs of Victoria’s growing birth rate highlights Victoria’s bed shortage and lack of planning to meet Victoria’s health needs, according to AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis. Dr Travis’ comments follow...
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Vigilance required as peak flu season hits
08/08/2007With the peak flu season upon us, Victorians need to be vigilant and remember some simple measures to reduce the spread of influenza, AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis said today. “August is traditionally the peak flu season in Victoria and with...
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Doctors condemn inaction
26/07/2007Doctors have criticised the lack of meaningful action by the NSW and Victorian Governments on the integration of health services and called for a commitment to timeframes for action. At the meeting doctors unanimously passed a motion stating: Local doctors...
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AMA Victoria welcomes parliamentary review of abortion laws
17/07/2007The Australian Medical Association Victoria would welcome legal certainty on abortion. AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis said that termination of pregnancy was a health issue and should not form part of the criminal law. “The AMA supports the right...
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Mental health services under pressure
13/07/2007AMA Victoria Council Chair and psychiatrist Professor Graham Burrows said concerns expressed by psychiatric staff at Maroondah and Box Hill hospitals highlighted the pressure on mental health services across the state. “Mental health service shortages,...
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Overseas trained doctors essential
04/07/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis said international medical graduates played an important role in the provision of healthcare to Victorians. Dr Travis was speaking after police questioned an overseas trained doctor in Queensland in relation to terrorist...
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Doctors welcome smoking milestone
30/06/2007The new smoking bans for licensed premises which apply from tomorrow are an important milestone in eradicating the harm caused by smoking, according to AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis. “The State Government’s strong stance should be commended,”...
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Doctors welcome smoking milestone
30/06/2007The new smoking bans for licensed premises which apply from tomorrow are an important milestone in eradicating the harm caused by smoking, according to AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis. “The State Government’s strong stance should be commended,”...
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Meeting planned to get merger back on track
28/06/2007A meeting will be held in Albury Wodonga on July 25, in a bid to get the cross border health service plan back on track. “The meeting will be held exactly four years to the day since the Victorian and NSW Governments signed an agreement for a cross border...
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Drug prescribing requires safety measures
26/06/2007Tuesday, June 26, 2007 Doctors raised concerns today about ‘doctor shoppers’ and the proposed State Government expansion to prescribing of drugs of dependence without adequate controls. AMA Victoria will make a presentation today to the Parliamentary...
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Education and regulation needed in fight on obesity
20/06/2007To win the fight against obesity we must combine education with regulation, according to AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis. Speaking after the release today of the Victorian Auditor General’s report ‘Promoting Better Health through Healthy...
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Patient care the priority
20/06/2007Financial performance targets must not compromise quality patient care in our public hospitals, AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis said today, following the release of the Victorian Auditor-General’s report. “While we commend the State Government...
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Shepparton first country stop for new AMA Victoria President
19/06/2007Newly elected AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis will visit Shepparton today, in the first of a rolling campaign of visits to country Victoria. Dr Travis will meet with a cross-section of specialist doctors during his visit, from GPs to anaesthetists, to...
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Expo tackles doctor shortage
01/06/2007More than 1000 young doctors and medical students from around Australia are expected to converge on Melbourne tomorrow for the biggest promotion of Victoria’s public hospitals. “The Medical Careers Expo provides a platform for Victoria’s...
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Limiting mothers’ choice not the answer
31/05/2007The care of mothers and babies at birth has come a long way in my 25 years of practice as an obstetrician. Victorian women today have good reason to see birth as safe. In the 1920’s the rate of maternal death in birth was 1 in 250, today it is 1 in 10,000....
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Work Vehicle smoking ban a must – AMA Victoria
31/05/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis today called on the Victorian government to take the lead and ban smoking in work vehicles. Dr Travis said Victoria needs to go one step further than the South Australian government’s ban on smoking in cars carrying...
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Hospitals doing well today, but no room to move
31/05/2007AMA Victoria president Dr Doug Travis congratulated the State Government on having the most efficient public hospitals in Australia, but warned without funding for more beds and staff, elective surgery waiting lists would continue to blow out. The Australian...
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Melbourne doctor elected president
29/05/2007A Melbourne based surgeon will head up one of Victoria’s most influential health lobby groups for the next two years. Footscray urologist Dr Doug Travis was elected unopposed as president of AMA Victoria last night. “Victoria has been well served...
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Health professions unite for public safety
14/05/2007Victoria’s doctors, dentists, pharmacists, chiropractors, optometrists and physiotherapists have united to call on the Premier to halt introduction of sweeping changes to the state’s health profession registration system due to start on 1 July...
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AMA Victoria president speaks out on rural health
09/05/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates has today welcomed measures in the Federal budget for training and attracting new doctors to rural areas but has called for increased government funding for infrastructure and incentives for doctors to redress the decline...
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Walk Safely to School Day a good time for family activity audit
03/05/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates has urged families to use Walk Safely to School Day, this Friday (May 4), as the perfect time to do an audit of your family’s weekly physical activity. “Walk Safely to School Day is the perfect way for parents...
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Rural doctor support welcome - State budget
01/05/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates said the State budget offered few surprises, but importantly recognised the need to address the rapidly declining number of doctors in country Victoria. “The $3.5 million government funding boost for rural hospitals...
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Promises honoured, no surprises - State budget
01/05/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates said there were few surprises for health in the state budget but it was pleasing the government had honoured its November election promises. Dr Yates welcomed funding boosts for elective surgery and outpatient services,...
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Expansion of training program offers health support staff new direction
19/04/2007A successful 2006 pilot program will be expanded this year for health support staff to improve the provision of health services in Victoria. Medical practices, nursing homes and private and public hospitals now have the opportunity to provide reception, support...
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Village Life closures will spell disaster for health and aged care services
18/04/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates today called on the Federal and State Governments to take action to ensure appropriate accommodation is provided for the residents of Village Life retirement villages, who are expected to be evicted in coming weeks. More...
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GP shortage highlights work to be done in regional Victoria
16/04/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates said the shortage of doctors in outer metropolitan and regional areas highlighted the urgency for more government support. The figures from the Primary Health Care Research and Information Service show that the population...
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Bird flu preparedness: AMA Victoria supports proactive approach
30/03/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates today welcomed the proactive approach being taken by a Melbourne GP Clinic to test bird flu preparedness. “Pandemic planning is very important and the exercise today demonstrates that GPs are taking pandemic planning...
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Doctor’s death a lesson for all hospitals
30/03/2007AMA Victoria president Dr Mark Yates said the tragic death two years ago of 28 year-old Dr Peter Nettelbeck should ring alarm bells for hospitals about ensuring doctor workloads were not excessive. “It is often taken for granted by hospitals that doctors...
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Focus on elective surgery welcome, but new model a concern
06/03/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates has welcomed the State Government’s commitment to tackle the elective surgery waiting list, but has raised concerns the opening of the new Alfred centre could drain scarce specialist doctors from other hospitals....
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Health professions welcome moves to protect patient safety - joint media release
19/02/2007The news that the Federal Government believes health practitioner registration should be about public safety and cross border practice rights rather than social engineering is most welcome. It signals their appreciation that health care is comprised of a number...
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Elective surgery funding welcome
16/02/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates has welcomed the State Government’s announcement this week of an additional $12 million for elective surgery and outpatient appointments. “Elective surgery is clearly an important priority for Victorians and...
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Action plan needed now to keep doctors in Victoria
08/02/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates has today called on the State Government to develop a clear long-term action plan for training of new specialist doctors or face patients having long waits to access needed care. “This week more than 450 doctors took...
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Hospital funding cuts target elderly
04/02/2007State Government public hospital funding cuts are targeting the elderly, AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates said today. Dr Yates said the huge funding cuts, up to 39 per cent, appeared to target the most frail in our community, the elderly, and may force...
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Confidentiality essential to doctors’ good health
22/01/2007“Doctors need to have confidence they can seek medical help with the same rights to privacy and support in the workplace as other patients,” says AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates. Dr Yates was commenting on a recent media report calling for...
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Latrobe Regional Hospital specialist meeting welcome
14/01/2007AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates has welcomed confirmation Latrobe Regional Hospital management will meet with specialists on Tuesday (16/01/07). Dr Yates said he hoped the meeting, to discuss rental contract arrangements for specialists providing public...
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Letter to the Editor - Herald Sun - Nurse on Call
11/01/2007Sally Morrell’s experience of the State Government’s Nurse on Call hotline (Herald Sun 11/1/07) brings reality to the concerns doctors expressed to the state and federal Health ministers since 2005 when this “solution” to the escalating...
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Hundreds of new doctors hit Victoria’s hospital wards
07/01/2007The largest intake of new doctors will start at Victoria’s public hospitals from Monday (tomorrow), as the 2007 intern year begins. AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates welcomed the new interns and congratulated them on reaching this important milestone....
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