Category: Australian Medical Association

Australian Employee Groups Welcome No Fault COVID-19 Indemnity Scheme

Employee and business groups have welcomed the federal government’s announcement on Saturday to introduce a no fault COVID-19 indemnity scheme that will give financial compensation to people who experience serious adverse side-effects from the vaccine. The scheme will give businesses the confidence to hand out vaccine mandates to employees by offering financial protection to all…


Industry Groups Praise New COVID Plan but Disappointed in Arrivals Cap

Industry groups are welcoming the Australian government’s new four-step COVID plan that is based around vaccination numbers but call the reduction on international arrival caps “one step backwards.” Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) welcomed the new plan but recommended that the “post-vaccination phase” be reached when all those who can and want to receive shots are…


Doctors, Pharmacists Wrangle in ‘Turf War’ Over Birth Control Pill Availability in Australia

Australian doctors are opposing a proposal to allow pharmacists to sell birth control pills over the counter, saying it would present a risk to patient safety and potential “conflicts of interest” for pharmacists. The Australian Therapeutic Goods Association is holding public consultations over whether oral contraceptive pills (OCP) should be made available to patients without…


Australia’s Peak Medical Body Supports India Travel Ban, but Calls for the Removal of Penalties

The president of Australia’s peak medical association has written to the nation’s leaders calling on the government to expedite the repatriation of Australians from India and to remove penalties such as fines or jail time for those who breach the current travel ban. India is grappling with a surge of COVID-19 cases, reporting over 300,000…


Western Australia Did Not Do Enough to Prevent Hotel Quarantine Outbreak: AMA

Australian Medical Association (AMA) President Dr. Omar Khorshid has said that the Western Australian (WA) government could have done more to prevent the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent 3-day lockdown. A report came in early April identifying the Mercure hotel as “high-risk” for ventilation issues, one of three in Perth. According to Khorshid, the problem lay…