AMA (NSW)

29/08/2026

CONGRATULATIONS: We are very pleased to announce that former AMA (NSW) president and general practitioner Dr Michael Bonning has been elected as the next federal AMA president at this year’s national conference in Melbourne.
Congratulations also to Melbourne emergency medicine physician Dr Sarah Whitelaw, elected as vice president.
They will start in their roles in November.
The NSW team, led by Dr Fred Betros, Dr Theresa Ly and Dominique Egan, looks forward to working closely with them over the next two years to improve the health system for patients and doctors.

27/08/2026

BOWEL CANCER SCREENING: AMA (NSW) member Dr Kenneth McCroary has called for bowel cancer screening to be extended to younger age groups.
Free home test kits are a simple but potentially lifesaving tool, helping people detect signs of cancer before symptoms appear.
Dr McCroary said patients should not ignore the test when it arrives in the mail and should speak with their GP if they have concerns or symptoms.
Early detection saves lives, and regular screening remains one of the most important steps people can take to protect their health.

25/08/2026

06/08/2026

DOGS WITH JOBS: Shetland sheepdogs love a purpose and Dr Skye is no different.
He works part-time at Royal North Shore Hospital, across paediatrics and adult cardiology, specialising in calming anxious patients and providing stress relief to busy staff.
Dr Skye comes from a family of dogtors. His older brother Dr Sam, who died earlier this year, worked in hospitals for 10 years.
Their philosophy has always been simple - no ruff days for their patients.

04/08/2026

NO SURPRISE: The winter surge hits public hospitals every year - so why does it still seem to cause surprise?
As AMA (NSW) president Dr Fred Betros told 2GB today, doctors and other health staff can only do so much in an under-resourced system.
And patients paid the price as the system buckled last night.
Long-term, sustained and increasing investment in preventative health should be the focus.
This means better public health policy and better funding for an enhanced primary care system, so general practitioners can treat complex patients and their diseases in a quality manner.
If we prevent more hospital admissions, we will have a sustainable health system.

01/08/2026

GOLDEN GIRL: Northern Beaches doctor and AMA (NSW) member Mackenzie Little has taken gold at the Commonwealth Games.
In last night’s final in Glasgow, Mackenzie nailed victory in her first throw of the javelin (61.88 metres).
Remarkably, she admitted after the win that she had not had “all the time in the world” to train given her busy schedule at NBH.
An ear, nose and throat registrar, she will be back at the hospital on Tuesday.
Amazing work.

30/07/2026

FULL CIRCLE: Almost 40 years ago, Sam Orde's much loved godfather underwent a lung transplant in Britain, giving him another two decades of life - and the opportunity to make more memories with his godson.
Now Sam, an intensive care staff specialist at Nepean Hospital, is on the frontline of organ donation conversations with families on their darkest days.
“The connection you receive as a medical person, talking to a family about their loved one and how they would feel about organ donation is an incredibly intense experience," he says.
He knows better than most the importance of registering your intentions and discussing it with loved ones long before the need arises in an intensive care unit.
"Critical illness and death are difficult to talk about. If the worst happens, it can be really stressful to make the decision about organ donation when you can’t talk to the person who’s potentially going to be the donor. That is why registering your decision is so important.”
Every organ donor can save the lives of seven people, and help many more through tissue donations.
To register as an organ donor and for more information, please visit https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today
Credit: Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District.

30/07/2026

PAGE TURNER: AMA (NSW) CEO Dominique Egan and president Fred Betros were among the first to get their hands on the latest edition of our NSW Doctor magazine, due to land in letterboxes this week.
In this issue, we profile our new leadership team and outline our priorities for the next NSW election in March.
To read more, please visit: https://www.amansw.com.au/the-nsw-doctor-winter-2026/

22/07/2026

MEMBER FOCUS: AMA (NSW) member, junior doctor and javelin expert Mackenzie Little will be under a different type of pressure tomorrow when the 2026 Commonwealth Games open in Glasgow.
Dr Little, who works at Northern Beaches Hospital, is a Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games veteran, the current Australian women’s javelin champion, a silver medallist from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and a bronze medallist from the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Best of luck.

20/07/2026

OUT NOW: In the latest edition of The NSW Doctor, we talk to AMA (NSW) president Dr Fred Betros and vice president Dr Theresa Ly, on their personal and professional journeys to medicine and advocacy.
We also chat to Dominique Egan on her priorities as AMA (NSW)’s new CEO in what promises to be an extraordinary year with the impending VMO arbitration decision and the next NSW election.
To read the latest edition, please visit: https://www.amansw.com.au/the-nsw-doctor-winter-2026/