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September 2011 (PDF 8.22MB) urgicalVol: 12 No:8 September 2011 Sthe royaL austraLasiannews CoLLege of surgeons doorsOpen the College showcases its fascinating wares to the public. page 26 The College of Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand President’s Perspective urgicalVol: 12 No:8 September 2011 STHE ROYAL AUSTRALASIANnews COLLEGE OF SURGEONS doorsOpen Longitude 131 degrees The College showcases its fascinating wares to the public. PAGE 26 Important issues debated at the NT/SA/WA Annual Meeting The College of Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand ON THE COVER: Crowds gather to see inside for Set your home free Melbourne Open House Are you using your home as the security for your practice Goodwill? contents Set this valuable asset free to 8> At the theatre grow your personal wealth Professor Mohamed Khadra with a Medfin Goodwill. teams up with David Williamson With up to 100% finance for approved applicants, Medfin’s Goodwill is secured against your 10> Awarding career David Chang continues to practice – not your home. reap research rewards Want more information? 12> Vision for East Timor Call your local Medfin Relationship Manager a new eye centre for Dili on 1300 361 122 or visit medfin.com.au uluru at dusk, courtesy of Charlotte Jennifer Padbury. 16> Law Commentary and request a quote. Children and surgery 30> Food for thought glenn McCulloch on our future Ian Civil President 32> Fellowship survey What you told us ike most Fellows of the College meeting. There was a vigorous debate I have flown over it many times. over the College involvement in surgical 34> Part-time training LHowever, in the past I had not been endeavours away from the ‘big smoke’ of a new landscape? truly aware of its significance. Longitude the major metropolitan areas. There is no 129 degrees or as it is frequently called the doubt that in the awesome breadth of the 38> Online library 129th meridian east defines the border outback, with its particular health needs, orthopaedic resources between Western Australia and South more resources from various governments Australia/Northern Territory. Longitude and more endeavours from all health 131 degrees passes through Russia, professionals are needed. Japan, Island of Waigeo in Indonesia, the In this meeting the balance of Dampier Strait, Melville Island and then generalism versus specialism was continues through Uluru (formerly Ayers particularly felt. I have spoken recently of Rock) in the Northern Territory. It was all the tensions in the health systems that REGULAR PAGES a majestic backdrop to the Combined are accentuating the issue of increased 5> Relationships & Advocacy 2011 Annual Scientific meeting of our specialism. Although specialism is not Northern Territory, Western Australia and all bad because extended knowledge in 7> Poison’d Chalice Finance for your: Car • Equipment • Practice • Property • Cash flow needs South Australia regional committees. a particular area and expanded technical medfin.com.au 18>ASC 2012 It is not surprising that providing expertise provides benefits to society 23> PD Workshops surgical workforce and building robust in general and patients with relevant surgical departments as well as the problems in particular, we need to be 35>Members Benefits contemporary issues of indigenous particularly alert to some of the downsides. Important Information: Because we do not know your personal objectives please consider whether this product is appropriate for your circumstances. Before acting on any 45>Surgeons’ Bookclub health were major components of the Surgery has the particular problem u of the information in this brochure, please seek independent financial advice. Approved customers only. Subject to credit assessment. Terms and conditions apply. Fees and charges apply. Medfin Australia Pty Limited ABN (89 070 811 148). A wholly owned subsidiary of National Australia Bank Limited (ABN 12 004 044 937), and part of Surgical News PAGE 3 September 2011 the NAB Health specialist business. (SN 9/11) Surgical News.indd 1 11/08/2011 10:51:25 AM Relationships & Advocacy outback flowers, courtesy of QasM Clinical Director John north fraCs. Society has given us the right to be regarded as a profession with key elements of; > An exclusive right to practise in a defined area of endeavour. training and reform on the agenda > A right to professional autonomy. > A duty, individually and collectively to put the interest of patients ahead of our own interests, and of our profession. It is on this last element of clearly needing to meet The Federal health patients’ needs across the breath of surgical presentations Keith Mutimer Vice President reforms have a long that we need to focus and ensure it is satisfied. Not doing way to go to see so is unprofessional. The consequences will eventually results be the privileges of professionalism are challenged and here have been interesting withdrawn. We are already seeing that with increased developments on both sides of the There was a vigorous debate over the government intervention in all aspects of our clinical TTasman recently. endeavours, the nationalisation and bureaucratisation The College’s National Board in New “College involvement in surgical endeavours of regulatory authorities and health service governance Zealand issued a media release on 4 August away from the ‘big smoke’ of the major without our input. As Geoff Davies stated: “While expressing its concern over reports that the metropolitan areas individually you may decide, for whatever reason, to proposed elective surgery unit at the North restrict your practice to only a narrow field, you cannot Shore Hospital in Takapuna will operate with ” do so collectively and still retain your collective rights. specialist medical staff only. The release noted Your collective field of practice is defined for you to some of increased technical specialism where advantage of a broad perspective would that if this is to be the case it will seriously extent by the public perception of the role of a surgeon1.” surgeons could become increasingly be lost. reduce the opportunities for Trainees to get the There is no doubt that we have a collective irrelevant to the care of patients as a However it does go deeper than that. vital surgical experience they need. responsibility to provide a broad scope of surgery in each whole, effectively marginalising our Many surgeons that I have spoken to have If the North Shore Hospital elective unit discipline, but also a professional requirement to ensure contribution in medicine. Our clinical read and re-read the words of the Hon arrangements mirror those at Waitakere high quality timely generalist surgery is readily available. decision making could be left in the Geoffrey Davies that have been printed in Hospital, the already considerable difficulties At Uluru there was much to challenge ourselves as hands of non surgeons and our range of the ANZ Journal of Surgery about the chal- in accessing sufficient elective surgery for in the public sector. At the time of writing, the new system will see federal funding of the individuals, employers – be they hospitals or health expertise only confined to an operating lenges of professionalism that confront our training in a number of specialties will only the College’s New Zealand National Board is public hospital system rise to 50 per cent of new department – and the College to continue to provide this theatre. Without doubt, the position of College.1 His clearly stated view and one be made worse. The growth in New Zealand’s seeking an urgent meeting with the Waitemata expenditure. This is hardly the revolutionary meaningfully into the future. surgeons as influential contributors to that I support is that when a societal need, population and the shortage of trained DHB to clarify the situation and its potential initiative to “end the blame game” which was surgeons requires an ongoing increase in impact on training. originally promised. The College maintains the healthcare universe would diminish. such as care of acute and emergency prob- Reference Trainee numbers. Limiting Trainees’ access to Meanwhile in Australia, after nearly four the position it held throughout the period of From those of us who still believe we are lems is not met then we are sacrificing our 1. Davies, G., Professionalism of surgeons: a collective responsibility. “physicians who operate” that distinct professional responsibilities as surgeons. ANZ J Surg. 81(4): p. 219-26. elective surgery will have exactly the opposite years of negotiations and political stand-offs, negotiations – that the single funder model effect. the nine Australian governments have now alone can achieve this goal. With the College and Health Workforce New signed on to new funding arrangements for the While we obviously welcome the new Zealand already looking at what opportunities Australian public health system. spending contained in the agreement, exist for training in the private sector, it makes A far cry from the scheme first proposed we remain sceptical about the capacity of Younger Fellows Forum no sense to remove opportunities for training by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2007, Australia’s already overstretched public 3 – 5 MAY 2012, KUALA LUMPUR All Younger Fellows are invited to nominate for 2012 Younger Fellows Forum. Correspondence to Surgical News should be sent to: Surgical News Editor: David Hillis [email protected] © 2010 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons The Forum provides a unique opportunity to debate ‘hot surgical topics’ and a chance to relax Letters to the Editor should be sent to: All copyright is reserved. [email protected] The editor reserves the rights to change material submitted and network with your colleagues and Council representatives. Next year’s theme is ‘The Public The College privacy policy and disclaimer apply – www.surgeons.org -Private Balance in a Surgeon’s Working Life’. The Forum is a unique chance to share ideas and Or The Editor, Surgical News Royal Australasian College of Surgeons The College and the publisher are not responsible for errors or consequences from reliance on information in this publication.
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