ASOHNS News

RACS 2020 Awards

ASOHNS is pleased to congratulate two members who have been announced as recipients of RACS awards.

The ESR Hughes Award is awarded for distinguished contributions to surgery by RACS Fellows and others and for 2020 this was awarded to Dr Neil Vallance (Victoria).

The Rural Surgeons Award is an award acknowledging significant contributions to surgery in rural settinigs in Austrralia and New Zealand. Dr Bal Krishan is the 2020 recipient.

The awards are due recognition of their services and dedication to their patients and our speciality.  

JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT - Minister for Health and President, Australian Medical Association

Please click on the following link to access the Joint Media Statement ( 9 September 2020) from The Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health and Dr Omar Khorshid, President, Australian Medical Association - Additional Commonwealth Support to Protect Healthcare Workers from COVID -19

ANZSPO BUTTON BATTERIES IN CHILDREN: UPDATE ON CURRENT MANAGEMENT

Please click here to access the current statement from the Australian and New Zealand Society of Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology (ANZSPO) aiming to update members on the current management of button batteries in children.

Thank you,

Paul Walker MBBS PhD FRACS FACS OAM

President ANZSPO

2020 QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HONOUR LIST RECIPIENTS

ASOHNS Federal Members, the NSW State Section Executive, members and Secretariat are very pleased to advise that two members have been acknowledged in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Congratulation to  Dr John Curotta (NSW), awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to medicine as an ear, nose and throat surgeon, and to Indigenous health.

Congratulations to Conjoint Professor Paul Walker (NSW), awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), for service to paediatric medicine, and to professional organisations.

AHPCC STATEMENT ON RESTORATION OF ELECTIVE SURGERY

Please click here to access the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) statement on restoration of elective surgery.

https://www.health.gov.au/news/australian-health-protection-principal-committee-ahppc-statement-on-restoration-of-elective-surgery

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE FROM BRENDAN MURPHY AND NICK COATSWORTH AUTHORISED BY GREG HUNT, THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH

Dear Members / Trainees

Please see message below and a link to the joint media statement from Brendan Murphy & Nick Coatsworth, authorised by Greg Hunt, on the easing of certain elective surgery restrictions. 

We will be in touch with further detail as this becomes available.

Kind regards,

Federal Secretariat 

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Click here for the full media release in PDF

Minister Hunt’s office issued the media release regarding the easing of elective surgery restrictions.

The Prime Minister’s office has also issued a media statement, Update on Coronavirus Measures, that includes the following section about elective surgery.

Elective surgery

National Cabinet received up-to-date data on the stock of personnel protective equipment (PPE) in the National Medical Stockpile, and PPE held by state and territory health systems. PPE stocks and other equipment such as ventilators are now largely sufficient to meet expected demand for Australia’s COVID19 response through to December 2020, with current social distancing and travel restriction measures in place. 

National Cabinet noted that the National Medical Stockpile does not replace state, territory or private processes to source and deliver PPE to meet their needs. To date, the National Medical Stockpile has dispatched over 22 million masks primarily to state and territories, GP’s, Community Pharmacy, ACHHOS and aged care, with a further 11.5 million being dispatched this week.

Unnecessarily delaying elective surgeries can worsen health outcomes, increase anxiety and reduce social and economic productivity. 

As result of Australia’s success in flattening the curve, our low rates of COVID related hospitalisation and new data on stocks of PPE, National Cabinet agreed that from 27 April 2020, category 2 and equivalent procedures can recommence across the public and private hospital sectors. 

As result of Australia’s success in flattening the curve, our low rates of COVID related hospitalisation and new data on stocks of PPE, National Cabinet agreed that from 27 April 2020, category 2 and some important category 3 procedures can recommence across the public and private hospital sectors. 

National Cabinet further agreed that the following procedures can recommence from 27 April 2020:

·         IVF

·         Screening programs (cancer and other diseases)

·         Post cancer reconstruction procedures (such as breast reconstruction)

·         Procedures for children under 18 years of age.

·         Joint replacements (incl knees, hips, shoulders)

·         Cataracts and eye procedures

·         Endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures

PPE stocks for these elective surgeries and procedures will not be taken from the National Medical Stockpile.

It is estimated that a gradual restart of elective surgeries will see 1 in 4 closed elective surgery operating lists reopen, with flexibility for states to determine the appropriate levels of elective surgery within this general framework.

Reintroduction of elective surgery in a staged manner balances the ongoing need for the capacity to treat COVID-19 patients, while allowing our hospitals to treat elective surgery patients.

These arrangements will be reviewed by 11 May 2020, to determine if other elective surgeries and procedures can recommence and volumes increased.

National Cabinet further agreed to the Australian Dental Association recommendation that dentists move to level 2 restrictions (such as fitting dentures, braces, non-high speed drill fillings and basic fillings), allowing a broader range of dental interventions to occur where the risk of transmission can be managed and PPE stocks procured by the private sector.

National Cabinet again thanked Australia’s health care professionals for their work to support our COVID-19 response.

Kind regards,

Ben Houston

Acting Director – Health Communication

Communication and Change Branch | People, Communication and Parliamentary Division

Australian Government Department of Health

T: 02.6289.5745 | E: benjamin.houston@health.gov.au

PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601

Level 3 Sirius Building North, Furze St. Woden ACT

The Department of Health acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to elders both past and present. 

MBS UPDATE 20 APRIL 2020

A further update to MBS Telehealth Items has been made by the Department of Health effective from 20 April 2020.

The amendment removes the requirement for specialists to bulk-bill patients.

For further detail, please refer to MBS Online - Please click here

ASOHNS 2020 Society Awards

Congratulations to recipient of the 2020 Society Medal. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the medal presentation could not take place as the 2020 ASOHNS Annual Scientific Meeting was converted to a Viirtual Conference.

For Distinguished Contribution to the Art and Science of Otolaryngology:

Dr Michael Wilson

ASM VIRTUAL CONGRESS - IMPORTANT INFORMATION

RE: ASOHNS ASM 2020 – Important Information

Please see below some important information relating to the ASOHNS Annual Scientific Meeting.

Virtual Meeting

Please be advised, the meeting will not be broadcast live. The presentations will be available online in four weeks. 

To access the presentations, a registration fee will apply. If you have already registered for the ASM, the ASOHNS registration team will automatically transfer your registration across to this new category and refund the difference.

For Full members and Non-Members, the fee will be $550 (inc GST). 

For Medical Students / Junior Doctors / Registrars, the fee will be $440 (inc GST).

If you do not wish to have access to the virtual meeting, please email asohnsasm@surgeons.org by Monday 23 March 2020.

CPD

Fellows who register for the virtual meeting, will be entitled to CPD points. If you do not register for the virtual meeting, then no CPD points will be applied to your RACS portfolio.

Presentations by Registrars / Junior Doctors 

Should you wish to receive a certificate for your oral and/or e-poster, you will need to be registered for the virtual meeting. 

Refunds

If you wish to receive a full refund for your registration, please email asohnsasm@surgeons.org. All refund requests must be submitted by Monday 23 March 2020. Due to the high influx of refund requests, please allow 3-4 weeks for your refund to be processed.

We thank you for your understanding and patience during this time.

Kind regards

ASOHNS Registration Team

ASM 2020 - CONVERTING TO A VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

The Annual Scientific Meeting as a face-to-face conference cannot go ahead as planned. The risk of delegates acquiring COVID-19 is low, but real. 

The risk of holding the conference is likely the same in Sydney as anywhere else in Australia.  However, the risk of a delegate being exposed to COVID-19 at the conference could result in 75% of the ENT’s in Australia and most, if not all, trainees potentially being quarantined for at least 2 weeks. This would be devastating for the healthcare of Australia particularly with the potential problems if the virus does accelerate as predicted.

Therefore, ASOHNS’ Council Federal Executive have made the difficult decision to cancel the face-to-face conference and the Conveners have proposed to take steps to convert the conference in Sydney to a virtual congress. 

The course content will be captured onsite or remotely over the March 13-15^th dates. All those who were presenting will have the opportunity to present their work. Presentations will be collated for broadcast and online access prior to 31 May 2020.

We will be spending the coming days, the dates of the meeting 13-15 March 2020 and a couple of weeks of editing, to deliver an outstanding virtual conference with all the scientific content planned.

Details of how to provide your presentation will be sent separately to all presenters.

The valuable preparation and scientific material will still occur on the conference dates as planned, but without any delegates. 

The online material will be available to all ASOHNS members, trainees and delegates for the purposes of CPD and scientific benefit.

Registration fees to delegates will be refunded upon request to RACS Events management after 15 March 2020.

We will liaise the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons regarding CPD.

If you were scheduled to present at the conference, you will receive a separate email regarding how to submit your presentation, either in person at the ICC, or electronically.

We thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.

If you have a general enquiry, please send to info@asohns.org.au with the Subject line “ASM 2020 Virtual Congress”

We will endeavour to respond within 48 hours.

Registration enquiries should be sent to asohnsasm@surgeons.org