|
|
|
 |
| AMAs marriage counselling for rural split too late |
9-Jun-2005 |
|
|
|
by Paul Smith
AN attempt by the AMA to “heal the split” over the push for a rural speciality looks doomed, after the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine refused to take part in a so-called “peace and unity” forum.
The AMA announced last week it would attempt to broker a peace deal over the rural push with ACRRM, the RDAA and the RACGP in a forum in July.
However, the association appears to have failed to tell ACRRM about its planned involvement. After being contacted by Australian Doctor, ACRRM said it only knew about the “role” after the announcement.
ACRRM president Dr Bruce Chater said he did not want to be involved in the forum because he did not want the AMA acting as a “marriage guidance counsellor”.
“For me, it’s too late,”he said. “The application [to the Australian Medical Council for speciality status] has already gone in and I can’t really think what there is to discuss — and that is why there is no point in us going. The discussions, if they were needed, should have happened a long time ago.”
Dr Chater was also critical of the AMA’s decision to set up a rural reference group, which will devise rural health policy.
“I wonder how effective or relevant this group is going to be when they [the AMA] has not spoken to either the representative body for rural medicine — the RDAA — or the college for rural medicine,” he said. “I would have thought that would have been important.”
AMA president Dr Mukesh Haikerwal said he remained concerned that if speciality status for rural medicine went ahead, it would mean doctors in training would be locked into a rural pathway for life.
“All I can say is that I hope and request that people remain open to discussion and that they remain positive,”he said. “We still have serious concerns about what is happening and the divide it could create.”
|
|
|
| | Related Articles - Rural - Workforce | |
|
|
|
|
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Submit your feedback here: