AMA Victoria - Vicdoc August/September 2019

32 | Vicdoc August / September 2019 AMA Awards August / September 2019 Vicdoc | 33 Dr Geoff Toogood was presented with the award at the recent AMA National Conference in Brisbane. The President’s Award is given to a person who, in the opinion of the President, has made an outstanding contribution towards furthering the objectives of the AMA. “Dr Toogood is a most worthy recipient on the basis of his demonstrated commitment to, and advocacy for, doctors’ health,” AMA Federal President, Dr Tony Bartone said. “Geoff speaks from lived experience and is a passionate and authentic advocate for the medical profession." Dr Toogood overcame significant mental health issues, with the support of his family, family GP and other health providers. But on his return to work, he faced discrimination and unfounded speculation about the state of his mental health. As part of his recovery, he wore bright socks and adopted a puppy. As anyone who has ever lived with a puppy knows, socks and pups are not a good mix. One day in 2016, his dog Sammy chewed one of his socks as he was on his way out the door to work. When Dr Toogood grabbed another, non-matching sock and wore it to work, he became aware that his colleagues were laughing at him behind his back and whispering that he was ‘going crazy again’. “A simple question or chat would have cleared up the matter,” Dr Bartone said. “Geoff decided it was time to break down the stigma and get people talking about mental illness in the medical profession. So he made the first Friday in June Crazy Socks 4 Docs day and encouraged members of the health profession to share photos of their odd, crazy socks on social media.” Crazy Socks 4 Docs is now a global phenomenon, with doctors around the world donning odd socks. “Geoff’s message is that it is okay for doctors not to be okay and that by talking openly about mental illness, depression and anxiety, we can empower our colleagues to seek help or offer assistance.” A beyondblue survey of 14,000 Australian doctors and medical students in 2013 found that they are burnt-out, more likely to experience psychological distress and suicidal thoughts than the general community and are drinking too much alcohol. “We have lost too many of our colleagues in recent years to ignore our own health,” Dr Bartone said. “Dr Geoff Toogood has led the way in raising awareness around the world of the need to support each other and talk openly about mental health. I commend him for his work.” AMA Federal President, Dr Tony Bartone, made the announcement at the AMA National Conference. “Dr Harris’s credentials to receive the AMA Gold Medal are self-evident,” Dr Bartone said. “In all aspects of his career, he has displayed all the attributes of the best of the medical profession – compassion, dedication, and excellence. His contributions to the medical profession, to emergency services and to humanitarian work would be enough on their own to warrant recognition.” Dr Harris worked with AusAID in the Pacific for two years, providing anaesthesia and intensive care services in Vanuatu’s developing medical system. His love of diving led him into the field of hyperbaric medicine and into search and rescue operations. Dr Harris established Australasia’s first sump rescue training course and has built strong relationships with emergency services. The Adelaide anaesthetist became the centre of world attention in 2018 when he and his dive partner, veterinarian Craig Challen, took part in the heroic and dangerous rescue of the Wild Boars soccer team, after 17 days trapped in Thailand’s Tham Luang cave system. A Thai Navy SEAL had already died during the dangerous mission and Dr Harris and the other rescuers risked their lives to swim, walk, and crawl to reach the boys. Dr Harris assessed the boys medically and determined the order in which they should be helped out. Crucially, he used his anaesthetics expertise to sedate the boys with ketamine before divers guided them unconscious through the treacherous cave system, as there was a real danger that the boys might panic during the three hours of diving and swimming through narrow passages and put themselves and their rescuers in danger. “The priority of doctors is ‘first, do no harm’. I can only imagine the range of emotions Dr Harris must have felt as he submerged that first unconscious boy to test the full face mask that would be used in the operation,” Dr Bartone said. It took three days to bring all 12 boys and their coach out of the cave. With the world watching, Dr Harris was the last person out. Dr Harris is the 2019 Australian of the Year, along with Dr Challen. He has been awarded Australia’s second-highest civilian bravery award, the Star of Courage (SC), the medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) and has been granted royal honours by the King of Thailand. “Dr Richard Harris is truly a worthy winner of the AMA Gold Medal,” Dr Bartone said. Doctors' heath campaigner honoured for international mental health movement A Melbourne cardiologist who singlehandedly started an international movement to encourage doctors to openly discuss their mental health is the recipient of the 2019 AMA President’s Award. Cave rescue hero receives AMA Gold Medal Dr Richard Harris, the Adelaide anaesthetist who played a crucial role in rescuing 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave last year, has been awarded the prestigious AMA Gold Medal. AMA Victoria claims honours at National Conference Best Public Health Campaign 2019: The Medically Supervised Injecting Centre at North Richmond AMA Victoria has been advocating for a medically supervised injecting centre (MSIC) since 2012 as a proven harm minimisation measure, based on thorough research and sound science. There was substantial opposition to the North Richmond trial when it was proposed in 2017, with the Victorian Liberal party announcing it would stop the pilot trial if it won the 2018 state election. AMA Victoria established itself as an expert source on the subject of harm minimisation, presented unbiased information and counteracted misunderstandings and used the experiences of members who, as doctors, have had to resuscitate overdose patients in car parks and other public areas. From the centre’s opening in July 2018 through to April 2019, it had 40,000 visits and 650 overdoses were prevented. Judge Amanda Bresnan, executive officer at National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services, said the campaign demonstrated a consistent and long-term process and strategy to achieve an outcome. “It also tackled a very difficult issue, but did so in a way which built a case on evidence-based policy and being consistent with AMA Victoria's policy and position,” Ms Bresnan said. “They set out to achieve - and did so - clear messaging, had a credible and respected spokesperson, used parliamentary process and the media and developed a range of materials to build their campaign. “They confronted negativity and misinformation directly and stayed consistent with their case, which led to the intended outcome of the supervised injecting facility being established, supported and continuing.” Best State Publication for 2019: Vicdoc Judge Sue Dunlevy, the national health reporter at News Corp, said that Vicdoc's highly engaging and wide- ranging content made it the standout AMA publication for 2019. “The fascinating interview with Dr Graeme Killer, the doctor to five sitting Australian Prime Ministers, gave a terrific insight into a rare and unusual medical job,” Ms Dunlevy said. “The article about the bush GP being asked to operate on an injured dog was a gem. “There was plenty of great practical information for doctors on subjects from choosing a specialty to managing a family while practising medicine. Up-to-date medical information on thunderstorm-related asthma, cervical cancer screening and other issues made the publication useful and directly relevant for doctors.” Thanks to all of our members who have contributed to Vicdoc and our advocacy work over the past year. AMA Victoria was recognised for exceptional work in advocacy and communications, winning two awards at the National Conference.