President’s report

Dr John Williams

‘The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.’

Albert Einstein

‘Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.’

‘Change before you have to.’

Leo Tolstoy

Jack Welch, Former Chairman and CEO, General Electric industrial relations, corruption, workplace culture, climate change and organisational governance (none of which were offered as electives when I studied medicine). I’ve also responded to draft policies and media questions on matters closer to my areas of expertise: discharge procedures, COVID and Long COVID treatments and care, Ozempic use and shortages.

As doctors, we are (or could be) changing – our practices, our tools, our attitudes – throughout the course of our professional lives. The body of knowledge available to me as a junior doctor is not the same as that which is available to me now, so of course I must change to accommodate as much information as I can about the human body, the human brain, medical treatments and the sciences that overlap with it. My patients deserve it.

It has been a massive change.

Now that I travel more often from Port Lincoln to spend time in the AMA(SA) offices, I’ve also become aware of how much work is done by a small number of people in the AMA(SA) Secretariat. The office team has also undergone a huge amount of change in recent months –change that without its collective effort could have threatened our future in this state. We have a new CEO, Nicole Sykes – whose first column appears in this issue – and Leonie Thomson has joined the Secretariat as executive support for Nicole and me.

Along with my colleagues across the South Australian health system, I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Dr Philip Tidemann on 26 July.

As reported at the time, Phil was in hospital with COVID when he died, his health weakened by a 20-month battle with aggressive bowel cancer.

As a cardiologist, Phil saved lives. But in establishing the Integrated Cardiovascular Clinical Network (ICARNET) project, Phil saved many more, especially in rural areas where the access to cardiac care it provided increased residents’ chances of surviving heart attacks.

We will acknowledge Phil’s legacy more comprehensively in the Summer edition of medicSA.

It’s not just about changes to diagnosing and treating ailments, however. There have been changes to the environments in which we practise, what we know about the impacts of climate change, how some of our patients wish to be recognised and the psychological trauma that can occur, if and for whatever reason that recognition is withheld. We know we can no longer treat students, junior doctors, nurses and other staff – or anyone! - as they were treated by some members of our profession in the past. We know rest is not a perk but a necessity.

It has been fascinating to monitor my own change in attitude about what the AMA is and what it’s for since assuming the presidency of AMA(SA) in May. I had been a member of Council for many years, and I’d joined then-President Associate Professor William Tam on a trip to talk to doctors in the South East. I accompanied Dr Chris Moy during his regional visit to the Eyre Peninsula in 2021. I’d watched and learned from my predecessor Dr Michelle Atchison during my two years as Vice President. But, as she warned me, it looks very different when you’re in the hot seat.

In four short months, I’ve been in meetings about and been the public face of AMA(SA) advocacy on payroll tax,

Perhaps most importantly, Nicole can look at the organisation with eyes untinted by a long history in or with the AMA. She is asking why things are done as they are and if they can be done differently. After staging a staff planning day last month to garner her team’s views about their employer and workplace, she is organising a strategic planning day for people close to AMA(SA) to gather our knowledge and perspectives. I am sure we will ponder thought-provoking questions and ideas that challenge the status quo, as we plan our future.

There is no doubt that medicine requires an organisation like the AMA. An organisation connected to its workers and its patients that can take a step back, look at the bigger picture and direct health to a better place than when it is guided by political agendas or business forces that are not connected or understanding of the delivery of good care.

Honest discussion and resultant change can be messy and uncomfortable. I look forward to considering with our members and everyone involved the changes we should make. Before we have to.