AH&MRC The Deadly Doctors Forum was held at the Crown Plaza Coogee beach on Bidjigal and Gadigal country, who traditionally occupy Sydney Coast.
This event was held on the 24th November 2022, with over 30 General Practitioners within the ACCHO sector.
This event is a great opportunity for General Practitioners who work in the ACCHO sector to network and discuss the critical issues that affect their work and the sector alike. The event left everyone feeling connected to a community of peers.
There were doctors from ACCHSs across NSW including Awabakal, Armajun, Illawarra, Bullinah, Tharawal, Dubbo, Katoomba, RivMed, Walhallow , Katungal, Durri and Redfern.
Those who attended were privileged to be able to participate in an ochre ceremony led by Susan Moylan-Coombs from the Gaimaragal Group as part of a session on Positive Cultural Appreciation, Self-Care and support for doctors working in ACCHSs.
Dr Kathryn Hutt and Dr Ameeta Patel from Doctors Health NSW also presented and facilitated a session encouraging self-compassion and connection with peers; we all contributed to a ‘self-care tree’ where on each leaf participants wrote a suggestion of how health workers can look after ourselves, to enable us to look after others. This became a great talking piece throughout the day.
One of our guest speakers Dr Joe Lawler, consultant gastroenterologists and hepatologist in Sydney’s Inner West and in Western NSW, gave a presentation on Hepatitis B and C and bowel cancer screening in Aboriginal communities which was universally well received.
Another speaker was Ru Kwedza from the NSW Cancer Institute explained the background and findings of the ‘Aboriginal People in NSW Reporting for Better Cancer Outcomes Report’ to give doctors better insight into the impact of cancer in the Aboriginal Communities where they are working.
Chris Allan, Mental Health worker at Tamworth Aboriginal Medical Service explained how he and his team were supporting home detox for their community members saving them having to wait for long periods to getting into the very limited detox centres in their area.
We were lucky to have Kristy Williams (midwife), Annika Honeyset (Aboriginal Health Practitioner), and Dr Megan Elliott-Rudder to explain their innovative mums and bubs program that is delivered on site at Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation.
Finally, one of our AH&MRC Health Programs Officers Mafi Kailahi facilitated a round table on ear health giving participants the chance to give feedback on the new KPI’s being introduced in 2023 and what is working (and not working) in the ear health space.
The day ended with a group photo with the sun shining and still time to walk down to the beach.
AH&MRC are looking forward to providing ongoing support for doctors working in the ACCHS sector in 2023. Watch this space for more information in 2023 and contact us publichealth@ahmrc.org.au if you would like to be included in our Deadly Doctors contact list.
