NEWS 7
Half of GP registrars worse off
ausdoc . com . au 14 FEBRUARY 2025
NEWS 7
The homely tribute to a beautiful GP
Carmel Sparke DR Giulia Kitchin was only part way through renovating a dilapidated cottage into a refuge for homeless women when she died of a brain tumour .
The 130-year-old weatherboard cottage in Albany , WA , had been earmarked for demolition as it was on a block bought by her and her husband , Dr Russell Young , intended for a car park for his sports medicine clinic .
“ But then my wife had a good look at the house and said , ‘ I would love to try to save this ,’” Dr Young tells Australian Doctor .
“ I could not see any value in doing this initially , but Giulia had heard about women in their 50s and 60s couch surfing or living in their cars .
“ She thought it would be great to try to reserve the house for women who find themselves in that situation .
“ When she passed away two years ago , I felt it was really important to finish the job . “ I wanted to honour her vision .” Now a freshly restored three-bedroom cottage , it is a far cry from the structure they bought several years ago .
“ It was horrendous : inside was almost shoulder high in rubbish .
“ This poor chap had not thrown anything away for about 40 years since his wife had died , and so Giulia started to clear up .
“ Then she found a carpenter who was sympathetic to the project , who bought into it , and started doing work to shore up the house .
“ There were bits of it that were rotting and falling down , but the bare bones of it were pretty good .”
At that time , she had stepped away from her work as a rural GP as she underwent radiotherapy , spending much of
‘ Giulia had heard about women in their 50s and 60s couch surfing .’
Half of GP registrars worse off
Rachel Carter MORE than half of GP registrars are earning less than they did in their final year of pre-vocational hospital training , with many trainees doing hospital locum work to supplement their income .
Only 23 % of the 1274 registrars who took part in a national survey said they were earning more now than they did in the hospital system . The average income per semester for a full-time GP registrar according to the results was between $ 50,000 and $ 60,000 .
A fifth said they had sought out hospital locum work to bring in additional income .
The survey covered registrars across GPT1 , GPT2 and GPT3 , with those later in training earning a higher average income of between $ 50,000 and $ 70,000 per semester .
In Victoria , just 12 % of GP registrars were earning more than in their last year in hospital . The numbers were low in the other states : 22 % in NSW , 29 % in SA and 32 % in Queensland . the last year of her life working on the cottage .
“ She was an amazing woman ; she just had such a beautiful community spirit ,” says Dr Young , who also works at the ED in Albany .
Three years ’ renovation and at least $ 500,000 later , the cottage needs landscaping but it is ready to be leased to either a family or single women at a massively subsidised rate . The hope is that it will give them space and time to get back on their feet .
“ We are very fortunate . I have got an amazingly well-paid job and a little bit of property , so this is just giving back to the community in a way .”
Finding time while raising their daughters , aged 11 and 13 , has been tough .
Dr Young also stresses that his wife would not approve of all the changes he has made .
“ I probably overcapitalised on some beautiful tiles , which have really taken it back to that character of that 19th century home ,” he says .
“ I think Giulia would think I have gone a bit too fancy there .”
He adds : “ I do not regret any of this for a moment .
“ The idea and vision that she started has been important to us . It has been important to make sure that Giulia ’ s name lives on . It is a legacy for her .”
Digital shift ‘ ups false positives ’
Mohana Basu A MOVE from film to digital mammography between 2006 and 2010 picked up a small number of extra cancers at the expense of many more false positives , researchers have suggested .
While a return to film was unlikely and the absolute numbers of false positives were low , the researchers said it highlighted that better detection did not always mean better outcomes , just as with improving radiography technology .
The study covered 2.7 million BreastScreen NSW attendances : 55 % film based and 45 % digital based .
The move to digital mammography increased the screen-detected cancer rate by 0.07 per 1000 screens , with a 0.21 per 1000 reduction in invasive cancer detections and a 0.28 per 1000 increase in ductal carcinoma in situ detections .
However , the recall rate increased by 8.02 per 1000 screens , mostly for false positives .
As digital mammography continued , both rates declined to pre-transition levels , the authors wrote in The Medical Journal of Australia .
Med J Aust 2025 ; 20 Jan .
Dr Russell Young ( right ) with his late wife , Dr Giulia Kitchin .
Before . After .
Better detection did not always mean better outcomes .
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* Trimbow is the only triple therapy PBS listed for severe asthma in two strengths and COPD ( 100 / 6 / 10 ) 2
Trimbow 100 / 6 / 10 & 200 / 6 / 10 are indicated for maintenance treatment ; in adults with asthma not adequately controlled with a maintenance combination of medium dose or high dose ICS / LABA respectively , and who experienced ≥1 exacerbation ( s ) in the previous year . Trimbow 100 / 6 / 10 is indicated in adults with moderate to severe COPD who are not adequately treated by ICS / LABA or LABA / LAMA . 1
PBS Information : Authority required ( STREAMLINED ). Severe Asthma . Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ( 100 / 6 / 10 mcg presentation only ). Criteria Apply . Refer to PBS for full information .
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Abbreviations : COPD : chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ; ICS : inhaled corticosteroid ; LABA : long-acting beta 2 agonist ; LAMA : long-acting muscarinic antagonist ; PBS : Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme ; pMDI : pressurised metered dose inhaler . References : 1 . Trimbow Approved Product Information . 2 . Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme ( PBS ). www . pbs . gov . au . Chiesi Australia Pty Ltd , Hawthorn East , VIC . 3123 , Australia . Tel : + 61 3 9077 4486 ; Fax : + 61 3 8672 0792 ; Email : medinfo . au @ chiesi . com . Copyright © Chiesi 2025 . All rights reserved . Date of preparation : January 2025 . AU-TRI-2500008 . CHIE00211C .
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