MEDICUS FEBRUARY 2016

A M A I N T H E M E D I A

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NEWS

result in them being returned to a higher-security facility. Corrective Services Commissioner James McMahon said random drug testing would also be increased at Bunbury during the trial period. He said more drug counselling would be offered to help inmates who wanted to get clean. Stopping the physical flow of drugs into jails was also being addressed. MrMcMahonsaidseveral initiativeswereal- ready inplace, includingthereinstatementof a police “prison unit” to investigate organised criminal activity in jails, increased visitor screening and more frequent cell searches. Random drug testing of prison guards is due to begin this year. Drug punishment ..................................................................................................................... FROM P1

Monday, January4, 2016 Doctors warn budget cuts will hit patients

PERTH HOSPITAL HEALTH CUTS WILL IMPACT SERVICE QUALITY: AMA (WA) A loss of the equivalent of 1,163 full- time jobs at south metropolitan public hospitals will mean cuts to the quality of patient services warns AMA (WA) President Dr Michael Gannon. “A loss of 1,100 full-time jobs might mean we’re talking about the loss of jobs of even 2,000 or 3000 part-time jobs, but what it really means is a cut to services,” he said. “We are not going to stand for it, we want to preserve what is, according to many measures, the best service in Australia.” Sunday Times/Perth Now, 3 January 2016. HEATWAVE SET TO SCORCH PERTH AMA (WA) President Dr Michael Gannon #15W3090940-28/12 said heatwaves were potentially dangerous because hot weather combined with high humidity reduced the body’s ability to cool itself through sweating. Dr Gannon said most at risk were those with medical conditions such as heart disease, pregnant women, young children and the elderly. “Anyone experiencing these conditions should take quick action to cool down, drink some water and find some shade,” he said. The West Australian, 4 February 2016. Marginsmayapply. **Rate is forowneroccupiersonly.Additionalmarginsapplywhen the loanpurpose is for investmentpurposes. Investmentpurpose includesbut isnot limited to, funds forshares, land,construction oranestablisheddwelling (including re-financeof investment loans) for investmentpurposes.Wherea loancontainsmultiple purposes ifanypurpose is for investment thenyouwillnotbe eligible for this rate. AMA IN THE MEDIA rating upgraded, which may Home Loans VariableRateReferenceRates The following interest ratesareeffective 17/11/2015 MortgageShredderHome Loan InvestorVariableReferenceRate RegularSaverHome Loan SeniorsEquityRelease EquityAccess StaffHome Loan OnlineHome Loan LiteHome Loan EasyDocHome Loan GoldEquityRelease EquityRelease Housing Loan BudgetHome Loan BankWiseHome Loan ExpresswayHome Loan CappedRateHome Loan ^Reference ratesapply toproducts thatareno longeravailable to newcustomers. FixedRateHome Loans The following interest rate iseffective 10/02/2015 OneYearOption The following interest rate iseffective04/12/2015 TwoYearOption (forowneroccupiers) The following interest rate iseffective 14/08/2015 TwoYearOption (for investmentpurposes) The following interest rate iseffective04/12/2015 ThreeYearOption (forowneroccupiers) The following interest rate iseffective 17/11/2015 ThreeYearOption (for investmentpurposes) The following interest ratesareeffective04/12/2015 FourYearOption FiveYearOption Complete FixedHome Loans The following interest rate iseffective 10/02/2015 OneYearOption The following interest rate iseffective07/10/2015 TwoYearOption (forowneroccupiers) The following interest rate iseffective 14/08/2015 TwoYearOption (for investmentpurposes) The following interest rate iseffective04/12/2015 ThreeYearOption (forowneroccupiers) The following interest rate iseffective 17/11/2015 ThreeYearOption (for investmentpurposes) The following interest ratesareeffective04/12/2015 FourYearOption FiveYearOption Business Loans The following interest ratesareeffective24/02/2015 BusinessOverdraftReferenceRate AgriOneOverdraftReferenceRate BusinessVariableOverdraftReferenceRate # This is thebase rateused todetermine the interest ratechargedoneachapplicable facility. Personal Finance The following interest rate iseffective24/02/2015 PersonalOverdraftReferenceRate The following interest rate iseffective 1/05/2015 VariableOverdraftExcessRate ## This is thebase rate forcalculating theannualpercentage rate. Bankwest Interest Rates Important things you should know: Bankwest, is a division of Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124 AFSL / Australian credit licence 234945. For lending products, lending criteriaand feesand chargesapply. Termsand conditionsapplyand are available on request. Interest rates subject to change. For deposit and payment products, consider the ProductDisclosure Statement (PDS) andwhether the product is right foryou.APDS isavailableatbankwest.com.au. BWB5803-TWA-24x2-0401 Exclusive territoriesavailable. Director inWA7th–10th Jan. Foranoobligationappointment/chat… CALLNOW0407628601or Emaildirector@aldontutoring.com.au www.aldontutoring.com.au TEACHERS 5.65 %PA 5.97 %PA 5.15 %PA 6.50 %PA 5.63 %PA 4.42 %PA 4.64 %PA ^ 5.53 %PA ^ 6.07 %PA ^ 5.85 %PA ^ 6.18 %PA ^ 6.85 %PA ^

Bethany Hiatt

AStateGovernmentpush to cut theequivalentof a thou- sandhospital jobs inPerth’s southwillreducethequality of service to patients, WA’s peak medical group has warned. Health Minister Kim Hamesconfirmedyesterday the South Metropolitan HealthServiceneededtocut the equivalent of 1163 full- time jobs to make hospitals in the southern suburbs more cost-efficient com- pared with those in other States. The Health Department offered250voluntaryredun- dancies last month, but Dr Hames said most of the sav- ings to be made in coming months would stem from streamlining rosters in- stead of cutting more jobs. “We’re not necessarily looking at getting rid of otherpeople—itdependson how they’re able to struc- ture their efficiencies,” he said. Australian Medical Asso- ciation WA president MichaelGannonsaidreduc- ing equivalent full-time positions would mean even more people were likely to losetheirjobsbecausemany worked part-time.

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talking about.” The West Australian, 4 January 2016. INCREASED WATER FLUORIDATION IN WA’S NORTH OPPOSED BY CONCERNED RESIDENTS Plans to fluoridate water in the northern West Australian towns of Newman and Kununurra are raising concerns for some residents. AMA (WA) President Dr Michael Gannon agreed that health fears around water fluoridation were unfounded. “Quite the opposite – not fluoridating water is a risk to our health,” he said. Dr Gannon dismissed the opponents of fluoridation as misrepresenting the evidence. “What we do see is selective misquoting of really quite poorly performed research.” ABC News Online, 19 January 2016. able to do the ame amount of workbutatamuchcheap- er cost,” he said. WA had the second high- est rate of costs per patient in Australia, 14 per cent above the national average. Dr Hames released fig- ures that showed Royal Perth Hospital would have to cut 568 FTE jobs, includ- ing334clinicalstaff,tobring it in line with the budget, and Fiona Stanley Hospital had to shed 297 FTE jobs. “We’ve got to trim those numbers back,” he said. “We’ve seen the amount of deficit the State has got, we’ve seen health go from just under 25 per cent of the total State Budget to now well over 28 per cent. “If we don’t trim our effi- ciencies in health, then we’re going to have a short- age of funding in police and teaching and a whole range of other areas.” Dr Gannon said it was simply more expensive to provide health services in WA, which was 10 times the size of Victoria, and it of- fered higher quality car . Shadow health minister RogerCooksaidtheGovern- mentneededtogiveanswers on how cuts to jobs would affect patient services. “The Department of For- eign Affairs and Trade can confirm it has received offi- cial notification from Thai authorities of the death of an Australian man in Koh Samui,” a spokeswoman said yesterday. Authorities said they would not release any more informationabout thedeath out of respect for the man’s family. A Chinese tourist also died inaswimmingaccident off the same beach, Thai police said. Police Lt-Col Apichart Jansamret said the two drowned on Saturday while swimming off Chaweng beach during high tide. Two other people were injured. He said there were “no swimming” signs and red flags in place to warn tour- ists about the dangers of swimming there. Koh Samui is a popular destination for foreign tour- ists in Thailand, which last yearhostedarecord-high29 million visitors. AAP Thai resort deaths Sydney AnAustralianmanhasdied in Thailand, authorities have confirmed. Thai police said the tour- ist drowned while swim- mingoff thesouthernresort island of Koh Samui.

DOCTORS WARN BUDGET CUTS WILL HIT PATIENTS A State Government push to cut the equivalent of a thousand hospital jobs in Perth’s south will reduce the quality of service to patients, WA’s peak medical group has warned. AMA (WA) President Dr Michael Gannon said reducing equivalent full-time positions would mean even more people were likely to lose their jobs because many worked part-time. He said the cuts would result in longer waiting times for outpatient appointments and elective surgery. “Week by week, little examples of the cuts … are becoming more obvious,” he said. “When frail, half-blind ophthalmology patients have to get on the bus from Kelmscott or Rockingham to go to Fremantle, that’s the kind of cuts were M † 5.59 %PA ^ 6.15 %PA ^ 6.29 %PA ^ 5.35 %PA ^ 4.79 %PA 4.39 %PA ** 4.69 %PA 4.24 %PA ** 4.49 %PA 4.69 %PA 4.79 %PA 4.59 %PA 4.24 %PA ** 4.49 %PA 4.09 %PA ** 4.29 %PA 4.49 %PA 4.59 %PA 10.06 %PA # 6.40 %PA # 7.75 %PA # 10.06 %PA ## 14.56 %PA ## “The loss of 1100 full-time equivalent jobs might mean we’re talking about the loss of even 2000 or 3000 part- time jobs,” he said. “But what it really means is a cut to se vices.” Dr Gannon said the cuts would result in longer wait- ing times for outpatient appointments and elective surgery. “Week by week, little examples of the cuts ... are becomingmoreobvious,”he said. “When frail, half-blind ophthalmology patients have to get on the bus from KelmscottorRockinghamto go to Fremantle, that’s the kind of cuts we’re talking about.” Dr Hames denied the reductions would result in a poorer quality of service. “We know that equivalent hospitals in other States are JOBCUTS Armadaleoverbudgetby 52 FTE Fremantle 170 FionaStanley 297 RoyalPerth 568 Corporateoperations 121 Rockinghamunderbudgetby 45 FTE Total southmetropolitan healthservice 1163 People forced to flee a Chr stmas Day bushfire on Victoria’s surf coast may have to wait before they can return home because of the risk of landslides. The fire claimed 116 homesinWyeRiverandSep- arationCreekand isstillout of control in dense bush. Teams are assessing affected areas for asbestos from cement sheet roofing, septic tankdamage,danger- ous trees and the risk of landslides in steep terrain. Permanent residents in the south of Wye River were allowed toreturnyesterday. Assessmentsaredue tobe finished today but incident controller Alistair Drayton said some homes might be uninhabitable because of the risk of landslides. AAP Lan slide risk after bushfire Melbourne Burnt: A car is examined.

Concern: AMA president Michael Gannon fears service quality will be affected. Picture: Ian Munro

The AMA (WA)’s Facebook posts have reached over 20,000 people in the last month, highlighting the growing presence the Association has on social media. Popular post have included the AMA (WA)’s concerns over the government’s push to cut hospital jobs, cuts to much needed services in the health sector and misinformation regarding fluoridation.

AMA (WA) President Dr Michael Gannon’s comments on staffing cuts have also gained traction on Twitter , ultimately reaching more than 38,000 people. Other popular tweets include Dr Gannon’s appearance on ABC News on the annual Public Hospital Report card, which reached an audience of 55,000 people.

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