Australian Doctor Australian Doctor 27th October 2017 | Page 3

Call for College to open up its books
GEIR O’ROURKE
RACGP members will vote
on a proposal to urge the
college to explain how it
spends their money.
Members pay up to $1390
in annual fees, but many
claim they are unsure of
what they will get in return,
according to a motion that
has been accepted for discus-
sion at the college’s GP17
conference in Sydney this
week.
A significant number are
questioning their member-
ship or considering regis-
tration with another CPD
provider, says the motion’s
author, NSW GP Dr Ashlea
Broomfield.
“What does the RACGP
do for m e? Why should I
be paying full membership
fees rather than just CPD/
QI? Why should I not reg-
ister with another CPD pro-
vider?” her motion reads.
“These questions are quite
common amongst my col-
leagues around the end of the
financial year when mem-
ANNUAL COLLEGE MEMBERSHIP FEES: HOW THE COSTS STACK UP
Year College Annual
fee Members Revenue Estimated
revenue per
member
2015 College of Surgeons $3000 7000 $67m $9600
2015/16 College of Radiologists $2457 4000 $15m $3800
2015 College of Obstetricians
and Gynaecologists $2404 6000 $21m $3500
2015 College of Psychiatrists $2300 3500 $32m $9200
2015/16 College of Physicians $1790 23,000 $54m $2300
2015/16 College of GPs $1418 35,000 $57m $1600
2014/15 Australian College of
Rural and Remote
Medicine $1145 4000 $14m $3500
bership fees are discussed.
Many RACGP members are
aware of all the activities in
the college but this is not
widely understood by every
member.
“Members have expressed
that attending RACGP CDP
courses and conferences are
a significant cost in addition
to their membership and it
may be more cost effective
to just pay for events as they
occur than to maintain full
membership.”
She points to the costs of
attending the GP17 con-
ference, which has a reg-
istration fee of $1270 for
non-members, with the
member discount amounting
to an 11% saving of $150.
The RACGP’s member-
ship is at record levels, num-
bering about 35,000. In
2015/16 it reported revenues
of $57 million. But revenues
were far greater for the
Royal Australasian College
of Surgeons, which has 7000
members and generated $67
million in 2015.
Dr Broomfield’s motion
proposes the RACGP make
the following changes:
Review what constitutes
• 
‘member benefits’ through
a process of targeted, true
engagement with grass-
roots members to deter-
mine what they value the
most.
• Produce accurate informa-
tion for members detailing
how their fees are spent
within the college; and
• Review the cost of attend-
ing educational events and
conferences to make them
more affordable for mem-
bers.
The motion will be voted
on by members at convoca-
tion, a special assembly held
Relying on relievers leads to hospital In Brief
MICHAEL WOODHEAD Staff writers
PATIENTS relying too much on
their reliever inhalers is a key
factor in poor asthma control
and can lead to hospitalisation,
an Australian study shows.
About 40% of asthma
patients rely on a reliever
inhaler rather than using a
preventer, a national survey of
3000 patients found.
Almost one in four of
the patients using relievers
required urgent treatment for
asthma in the previous year.
“This is hard proof that
people who choose to treat
symptoms only as they arise,
without also treating the
underlying condition, run a
very real risk of winding up in
hospital,” said study author
Associate Professor Helen
Reddel, a respiratory physician
at the Woolcock Institute
of Medical Research at the
University of Sydney.
Nearly half the patients who
relied on relievers bought them
over the counter and were less
likely to have had their asthma
reviewed by a GP.
But two-thirds of the
patients needing urgent
treatment had a GP
review within the last year,
“suggesting there could
have been opportunities for
intervention by the GP”, noted
Professor Reddel.
This showed there was a
need to “consistently identify
those at this unacceptable risk,
improve their expectations for
asthma control and deliver
optimal, evidence-based
asthma management”, she
suggested.
“The key messages for GPs
are to ask asthma patients
how often they use their
inhaler, how often they have
symptoms and how often they
are waking at night,” she said.
And just because a patient
had been prescribed a
preventer did not mean they
were using it, she added,
noting that dispensing data
suggested only 20% of
patients were using preventers
regularly enough to get any
benefit.
BMJ Open 2017; online.
‘I will attend to my own health’: Historic update
to doctors’ oath after Oz and NZ campaign
GEIR O’ROURKE
THE modern-day version
of the Hippocratic oath has
been updated to include a
commitment by doctors to
look after their own health,
following a campaign by
doctors from Australia and
New Zealand.
The Declaration of Geneva
has changed little in the 70
years since its creation in the
aftermath of World War II.
It includes a pledge to
respect human life and not to
violate human rights.
But doctors will now be
asked under the declaration
to make the additional vow: “I
will attend to my own health,
wellbeing and abilities in order
to provide care of the highest
standard.”
The addition was approved
at a meeting of the World
Medical Association (WMA) in

Dr Ashlea Broomfield tabled a motion calling for information on
how the RACGP spends its money.
Chicago this month, after 4500
Australian and New Zealand
doctors signed a petition
requesting changes.
The other addition to the
oath — first adopted by the
WMA in 1948 as a response
to the abuses perpetrated by
doctors in Nazi Germany —
was a commitment to respect
the autonomy of patients.
Dr Ramin Walter Parsa-
Parsi, chair of the German
Medical Association, said the
declaration “would not have
been complete” without a
statement on doctors’ health.
“This clause reflects not only
the humanity of physicians,
but also the role physician
self-care can play in improving
patient care,” he wrote.
Dr Sam Hazeldine, who
presented the petition from
the Australasian doctors to
the WMA last year, said: “For
years, we’ve operated under
the outdated paradigm that,
as doctors, we must sacrifice
everything for our patients.
“Acknowledging that looking
after ourselves is critical to
providing the highest quality
care ushers in a new era for
doctors.”
Journal of the American
Medical Association 2017;
online.
www.australiandoctor.com.au
directly after the college’s
annual general meeting on
Friday 27 October.
While
convocation
motions are not binding on
the RACGP council, they are
considered to be an impor-
tant mechanism for giving
ordinary members a say in
the direction of the college.
Dr Broomfield argues that
improving transpa rency will
enhance members’ engage-
ment with the college and
bring about a “reduction
in members cancelling or
reducing their college mem-
bership”.
AMA expels antivax GP
after member complaints
A GP infamous for appearing
at anti-vaccination rallies has
been kicked out of the AMA
NSW after a special meeting of
its directors. The AMA NSW has
confirmed it expelled Dr Kevin
Coleman following complaints
by its members, however it has
not provided any details about the complaints. Dr Coleman is
currently suspended by AHPRA under its emergency powers
to protect the public. His practice on the Central Coast of NSW
says he is on “indefinite leave”.
Coroner to examine Vic
storm asthma deaths
TEN deaths linked to last year’s
thunderstorm asthma in Victoria
will be investigated by the state’s
coroner. The scope of the inquiry
will be finalised by the end of the
month in preparation for a full
inquest in 2018. Both health and
weather experts will be called
to give evidence. Thousands
of people were taken to hospital following the freak weather
event on 21 November 2016, caused by a high pollen count
combined with strong winds, heat and air moisture.
See Therapy Update, page 25
Aussies develop mental block on sunscreen
ALMOST one-fifth of Australians are worried that sunscreens
contain ingredients that are bad for their health, a survey by the
Cancer Council has found. The charity surveyed 3614 adults
and found 20% believed using sunscreen regularly would result
in not having enough vitamin D, while 17% believed it contained
harmful ingredients. “There’s been a lot more social media
where people have raised concerns about sunscreen, whether
they have experienced allergic reactions or experienced severe
sunburn despite the use of sunscreen, ” said Craig Sinclair,
chair of the Cancer Council Australia’s public health committee.
“Australians should be confident that ... there is no evidence to
suggest the ingredients are bad for your health.”
27 October 2017 | Australian Doctor |
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