Queenslanders who don’t receive their first COVID vaccination by the end of October are likely to be banned from dining in restaurants or visiting a pub for a little pre-Christmas cheer.

AMA Queensland and the Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation Queensland (ASMOFQ) are profoundly saddened by the tragic passing of Dr Kate Sinclair.

Dr Sinclair, a paediatric neurologist, was a good friend to Queensland, AMA President Dr Chris Perry said.

“Kate was a formidable intellect and a very good friend,” AMA Queensland President Professor Chris Perry said today.

The AMA Queensland Scorecard outlines our key achievements and results delivered in the third quarter of 2021. It provides a visual overview of our extensive work to advance and improve the medical profession in Queensland and support doctors in the delivery of exemplary health care for the community.

Laws impacting the conversion of casual employees to permanent status of employment are now in place.

This affects private medical practices in different ways depending on their number of employees.

All practices must consider requests for casual conversion.

As of Monday, 27 September 2021, practices with 15 or more employees must have made offers of casual conversion to eligible employees.

Update: Four days after AMA Queensland called for a plan to manage reopening borders, the Queensland Government announced a plan to ease travel restrictions when 70 per cent and 80 per cent of eligible Queenslanders are fully vaccinated. This shows the efficacy of our advocacy and impact.

Media release  - 14 October

Queensland medical leaders have called for certainty about the State Government’s plan to manage reopening borders as the nation moves to more freedom.

QScript is a read-only prescription monitoring system that will help health practitioners identify high-risk clinical situations and assist them to manage their patients.  All prescribers, regardless of setting, are required to look up QScript when prescribing or providing a treatment dose of a monitored medicine.

QScript will not prevent a doctor from prescribing—it provides further information to inform decision-making. The decision on whether to prescribe remains with the prescriber (whether they have checked QScript or not).

Doctors planning a move into private practice will be able to learn the intricacies of dealing with the Medicare system at the Starting or Enhancing a Private Practice Seminar on 13 November.

From 1 October 2021, consumers need a valid prescription to import nicotine vaping products, such as nicotine e-cigarettes, nicotine pods and liquid nicotine.  This decision closes the loophole in federal legislation, which enables the unregulated importation and illegal sale of nicotine containing vaping products, or e-cigarettes, in each state and territory.  This means that when a consumer purchases these products online from an overseas supplier, they legally require a prescription from an Australian doctor.

Transcript: AMA Queensland Ramping Roundtable chair, Dr Kim Hansen, 4BC Breakfast with Neil Breen, Tuesday, 5 October 2021

Subjects: AMA Queensland Ramping Roundtable; hospital readiness for COVID-19

Queensland medical leaders have urgently called for real-time data from Queensland Health and the Queensland Ambulance Service to help solve the hospital ramping crisis before interstate borders reopen.

Emergency specialists, surgeons and doctors from throughout Queensland will meet for the third time this week – COVID-19 permitting – at AMA Queensland’s Ramping Roundtable to discuss the issue.