October 2006

Big bush push

In a case of ‘two heads are better than one’, the UWA and Notre Dame medical schools are joining forces to send more students into the bush. UWA already has a Rural Clinical School at Kalgoorlie and eight other sites. Under the expanded scheme, two new sites are proposed for Narrogin and Bunbury. A quarter of third year Notre Dame and fifth year UWA med students will spend 12 months at one of these centres next year.

Super nurses!

New nurse practitioners, highly-trained ‘super nurses’, will take on extra duties in hospital emergency departments to help reduce patient waiting times and doctor workloads. Health Minister Jim McGinty said the employment of emergency service nurse practitioners throughout WA hospitals was the latest initiative to provide better and faster care for patients. “Nurse practitioners have undergone additional training and are qualified to treat patients who would ordinarily have been seen by a doctor,” Mr McGinty said. Nurse practitioners are authorised to order x-rays and pathology tests, prescribe certain medications, refer patients to medical specialists, and treat minor ailments such as sprains, fractures, lacerations, minor burns, and respiratory conditions. We can’t help but wonder when the Health department will begin employing ?super doctors’?

Knee jerks and red tape

Medicines Australia is appealing new regulations imposed by the ACCC after Roche copped a shellacking in the media over spending $65,000 on 200 cancer specialists at a dinner. The crackdown includes measures to list on a public website even frivolous expenses such as tea or coffee served at meetings with drug company reps. Could this be another case of a government red tape over-reaction inspired by media hype? While in a regulatory mood, the ACCC has also proposed revoking the Surgeons College’s authorisation, which allows for autonomy in choosing the number of trainee places, to be replaced by a new authorisation that will ensure the government has a much greater say in trainee numbers. Did someone say big brother?

Rockin’ the suburbs

The Commonwealth is getting serious about pushing medicos into outer metro areas by extending its “More Doctors for Outer Metropolitan Areas” measure for another four years. The aim is to attract 250 GP’s and Specialists to the outer suburbs, with a $30,000 incentive to relocate an existing practice and a bonus of up to $40,000 for setting up a practice in the ?sticks’. While in a generous mood, the government is keen to reward non-vocationally registered doctors who relocate with access to item numbers used by vocationally registered doctors. Oddly, the government’s Perth map defines outer metropolitan as Coolbellup, Kenwick, Beechboro, Girrawheen, and Ocean Reef. Maybe they left the map in the dryer, because it appears to be shrinking!

All the glitz of Hollywood

Ramsay Health Care is throwing $128m at its Hollywood Private Hospital. By 2009, after the extensive refurbishment, Hollywood will have 500 beds, a multi-story car park, an additional medical centre facility, ten operating theatres, and a 50 bed day surgery facility.