President’s perspective

This is my first message to you in my capacity as president of the College. So far, I can tell you that it has been a busy and interesting time. There have been many useful meetings. While some have been face-to-face, the pandemic has curtailed travel so I’ve had many virtual meetings. Like many of you, I look forward to a time when we can move around more easily!

On a personal note, taking on the role of president has meant cutting back on my clinical work so that I can devote more time to Council matters. This is to be expected and is part and parcel of my new role.

I was fortunate to attend the 89 th Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Annual Scientific Congress held in Melbourne just before the lockdown restrictions were announced for Victoria. It was a wonderful event full of interesting sessions held onsite and virtually around Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and many other parts of the world. One of the many highlights for me was seeing so many of my colleagues in person after such a long time. Congratulations to the RACS teams and conveners for making the event such a success.

In July, the Australian Commonwealth Government implemented significant changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). The changes relate to categories of Orthopaedic Surgery, General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery and interventional cardiology.

It is pleasing to see the recommendations from the MBS Review Taskforce being acted upon, but it is important for patients and practitioners to have clarity about the changes, and how they will be reflected in private health insurance policies.

Our specialty societies impacted by these changes worked with the Australian Medical Association (AMA) to ensure that the fees list is clinically appropriate and supports high-quality patient care and informed consent.

In August, we launched our Indigenous Surgical Pathways Program (ISPP), an important initiative designed to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander surgeons in the surgical workforce.

While there are more than 83,000 doctors registered to practise in Australia, fewer than 400 are Indigenous. This is despite more than 760,000 people in Australia identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. This demographic breakdown highlights the work we have to do for the Indigenous community to reach parity with non-Indigenous Australians.

In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand we have a severe shortage of Indigenous surgeons. We need to do everything we can to change this disproportionate under-representation. The College is committed to addressing this health discrepancy and the ISPP will support this by encouraging and actively recruiting medical students and recent graduates into surgery.

I look forward to educating myself more on this subject and I recommend some of our excellent eLearning modules on Indigenous health. In Australia, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety program is designed to support you with learning about what life was like before colonisation, and how colonisation, mistreatment through legislation, and removal of children has impacted so many. The program introduces the holistic health approach and highlights how to support and improve health outcomes. The MIHI course for Aotearoa New Zealand practitioners, developed by Otago University, promotes positive engagement, appropriate care and treatment and health advocacy for the Māori community.

You may have noticed that I am adding the name Aotearoa when I mention New Zealand. The RACS Board of Council recently approved the use of the term ‘Aotearoa New Zealand’ in our publications, digital content and correspondence. We did this because in the te Ao Māori, the Maori world, names are significant, and there is a growing acceptance that embracing the name Aotearoa is a tangible honouring of that obligation. We currently use the term for the Aotearoa New Zealand National Committee and for relevant staff roles. Extending the use of Aotearoa New Zealand in our publications, digital content and correspondence shows, particularly to the Māori community, that this commitment is serious and evident in our day-to-day work.

On other matters, I would like to congratulate the staff and Fellows at the College who were instrumental in preparing the organisation to achieve reaccreditation from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). This is a significant step for us as it means that we can continue to receive funding under the Australian NGO Cooperation Program and other DFAT funding streams.

While the accreditation process was rigorous, I know that the process was a valuable capacity-building tool that enabled us to reflect, improve and grow. We received positive feedback from the Department, including recognition of our strong governance, risk management and finance systems. Our effective government partnerships and capacity to influence through effective advocacy was also noted. I have no doubt that the rigorous work done to achieve this standard will not only improve our processes and activities, but it will also help us maintain high standards in what we do to support healthcare in the Asia- Pacific region where we undertake our global health programs. Well done to all involved.

On a final note, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Councillors: Associate Professor Andrew Cochrane (VIC), Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Specialty Elected Councillor; Dr Nicola Hill (AoNZ) Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Surgeon and Fellowship Elected Councillor, and Dr Philip Morreau (AoNZ), Paediatric Surgeon and Specialty Elected Councillor. I know you will add immense value to the College and Council deliberations.

I look forward to having kōrero (conversations) with you all – the College staff, Council members, Fellows, Trainees, Specialist International Medical Graduates, our valued specialty societies and other stakeholders.

Dr Sally Langley, President