Here’s an update on some of the issues where AMA Victoria has recently featured in the media:
- Altona GP Mukesh Haikerwal looks back on incredible career
- Imagine a world without stupid stuff
- Hundreds of millions needed to fix Victoria’s broken health system
- As Victoria's surgery waitlist grows, so do concerns over a 'hidden' queue
- Boom in private ultrasound industry putting mothers and babies at risk.
Altona GP Mukesh Haikerwal looks back on incredible career
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal AC- former AMA Victoria and AMA Federal President- has stepped away from clinical general practice after more than 35 years serving the Altona North community.
One of Australia’s most respected GPs and advocates, Dr Haikerwal has combined frontline medicine with leadership across national and international organisations. His impact has ranged from helping lead the GP response during the COVID-19 pandemic to championing mental health, health IT reform, and the future of Medicare.
In a recent Herald Sun profile, Dr Haikerwal reflected on his decades of service and shared plans for more family time, travel, and continued advocacy. “Look after the patients and they’ll look after you,” he said- a principle that’s guided his work in the clinic and beyond.
Read more on Dr Haikerwal: Australian Doctor; VICDOC magazine
Imagine a world without stupid stuff
AMA Victoria continues to advocate for the statewide implementation of the Getting Rid Of Stupid Stuff (GROSS) initiative, as reported in The Medical Republic. GROSS empowers clinicians to identify unnecessary or low-value administrative tasks that consume time without delivering clinical benefit.
“It’s a bottom-up approach where clinicians can actually nominate the problems [that frustrate them],” AMA Victoria President Dr Jill Tomlinson told TMR.
She cited an example of geriatricians being required to obtain Working With Children Checks, despite not treating paediatric patients. “It just seems like stupid stuff,” she said.
AMA Victoria is calling for the formal inclusion of GROSS in health service Statements of Priorities and for strong executive leadership to embed the initiative and deliver lasting change.
Hundreds of millions needed to fix Victoria’s broken health system
AMA Victoria’s submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Ambulance Victoria was recently featured in the Herald Sun, highlighting our call for major system-wide investment to address emergency department access block and workforce burnout.
The submission stresses that ambulance ramping is a manifestation of long-standing capacity and discharge bottlenecks- particularly a lack of step-down and community-based services. Mental health patients are disproportionately affected, with some waiting days for admission due to insufficient psychiatric beds.
Without urgent reform, these systemic pressures risk worsening delays, increasing staff attrition, and compromising patient safety.
Read more on our Ambulance Victoria inquiry submission
As Victoria's surgery waitlist grows, so do concerns over a 'hidden' queue
Victoria’s official elective surgery waitlist has stabilised, but there is growing concern that it doesn’t reflect the full picture. As reported by ABC News, health sector leaders are warning of a “hidden” queue- patients still waiting for outpatient appointments, diagnostics, or specialist reviews before being formally added to surgery lists.
AMA Victoria President Dr Jill Tomlinson told the ABC that as long as overdue surgeries weren’t increasing, there was no immediate crisis- but Victoria should not allow missed surgery targets to become a norm.
AMA Victoria continues to advocate for greater transparency and adequate resourcing across the entire elective surgery pathway- from referral through to post-operative care.
Boom in private ultrasound industry putting mothers and babies at risk
Amid rising concerns over unregulated “reassurance scan” clinics, AMA Victoria President Dr Jill Tomlinson has called for stronger oversight and regulation of private ultrasound services.
Speaking to The Age, Dr Tomlinson emphasised the importance of clinically appropriate prenatal imaging. “I strongly recommend that pregnant women have scans performed by qualified individuals, via a referral either from their GP or obstetrician, and that if they have concerns or anxiety about their pregnancy or their baby’s development that they discuss these with their antenatal provider.”
With increasing reports of unqualified operators providing incomplete or misleading scans, AMA Victoria supports calls for Ahpra to formally regulate sonographers in line with other registered health professions.