The Bundaberg Local Medical Association is being established to provide a forum for doctors to interact, support each other and discuss local issues.
The new organisation draws together general practitioners, specialists and hospital doctors in the Bundaberg region.
Doctors recently gathered at the University of Queensland Rural Clinical School in Bundaberg to re-form the Bundaberg Local Medical Association.
The association aims to build stronger relationships between doctors right across the local health system.
General practitioner Dr Denise Powell said a Local Medical Association was needed as there were increasing numbers of new doctors in the area.
“Our aim is to provide strong support for the medical profession and in turn for the benefit of all the people in the Bundaberg region,” she said.
“What unites us as a profession is much greater than what separates us as individuals.”
Bundaberg ear nose and throat (ENT) surgeon Dr John Elphinstone said the Bundaberg Local Medical Association would provide an educational and social forum for doctors throughout the Bundaberg area.
“By bringing the medical community together in a social, non-competitive way, we can address the many issues facing our profession and the community we serve,” he said.
“We want to create a forum promoting education, fellowship and understanding among all local doctors.”
Australian Medical Association (AMA) Queensland president Dr Dilip Dhupelia, who attended the gathering, said the newly formed group would establish a single voice and support for doctors in Bundaberg.
“As state president of AMA Queensland, I believe Local Medical Associations in addition to promoting communication and networking among local doctors, have a pivotal role in local issues, serving as a vital link between the medical profession and the wider community.
“Many Local Medical Associations (LMA) around the state are functioning to a very high level and it is my ambition to revamp a successful and thriving LMA for both the clinicians and the patients of the Bundaberg region.”
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