AMAV VICDOC Winter 2024 - Magazine - Page 52
The Victorian healthcare system delivers high
quality care, but workforce pressures and the
impact of the pandemic has left the medical
workforce with low morale and extremely
stretched resources.
—
want a healthcare system
V ictorians
that provides quality, accessible
safe healthcare. We have lived through
unprecedented times, and there is much
work to be done to restore confidence and
improve workforce morale,” says AMA
Victoria’s President, Dr Jill Tomlinson.
“The Victorian healthcare system
delivers high quality care, but workforce
pressures and the impact of the pandemic
has left the medical workforce with low
morale and extremely stretched resources.
The continued expectation that we can do
more with less, the increasing complexity
of care, increasing cost of living pressures
and access issues are contributing to
despair and burnout among doctors.
“General practitioners lament the
fragmentation of team-based general
practice care by initiatives including
pharmacy prescribing and priority
primary care clinics, and the challenges
of accessibility and affordability for
their patients. Psychiatrists experienced
significant challenges with communication
around the implementation of the Mental
Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 and
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AMA VI C TO RIA
are concerned that care delivery is being
limited by workforce and bed constraints
despite increasing demand for services."
AMA Victoria is committed to
enhancing Victoria's healthcare system
by focusing on key areas including
sustaining general practice, improving
public hospitals, advancing digital health,
supporting mental health, advocating
for progressive public health measures,
prioritising rural and regional health,
lessening the administrative burdens
placed on all medical practitioners, and
addressing equity and diversity issues.
Restoring Confidence provides AMAV’s
advocacy template for the year ahead.
It focuses on three key areas or leading
themes (general practice, public health
services and mental health), and five
contributing themes (digital health and
technology, equity and diversity, regional
and rural healthcare, administrative
burden, public health).
“General practice is the most efficient
part of our healthcare system and the
workforce and funding crisis in general
practice heightens the difficulties of
