GPs working in Australia have a champion for their services in the election of a new Australian Medical Association (AMA) president. Dr Tony Bartone is a Victorian GP and was vice-president of the AMA for the past two years before recently being elected as president, replacing Dr Michael Gannon whose two year term ended last month. Dr Bartone has been involved in general practice for over 30 years.
The new AMA president is outspoken in his criticism of waiting list blow-outs and unaffordable private health insurance. Dr Bartone wants to see better co-ordination of care between health providers including GPs, specialists and hospitals with improved access to health data. He also want to see significant investment in the health service, particularly primary health care and general practice following several years of funding cuts and index freezing.
In his candidate speech to the delegates at the AMA’s National Conference held in Canberra last weekend, Dr Bartone said he was inspired to become a General Practitioner by his family GP who cared for his very unwell father through a number of home visits. Dr Bartone stated he wants to fight for Australia’s doctors so that they can deliver the same quality health care that his father experienced. The incoming AMA president believes it is the responsibility of the AMA to defend Australia’s world-class health system, particularly in light of an increased ageing population and chronic health conditions.
Rural focus for Queensland’s AMA president
The newly elected president for AMA Queensland (AMAQ), Dr Dilip Dhupelia, who works part-time as a GP in Brisbane, wants to focus on rural and remote health issues. Dr Dhupelia is the Director of Medical and Clinical Services at Queensland Country Practice which is part of Queensland Rural Medical Service, and worked as a GP in regional areas for many years. He has first-hand experience of the health issues and challenges faced by those in regional and remote areas, and believes that rural and regional residents deserve the same standard of healthcare as those who live in the city.
Dr Dhupelia trained in Ireland before immigrating to Australia and has been working as a GP in Australia since the 1970s. He has stated that he would like to see a more equitable distribution of specialists, GPs and other health care workers to meet the needs of the community. Dr Dhupelia believes one way of achieving this is to provide more support for the families of doctors who opt to work in regional and rural areas.