HOSPITAL NEWS
120 years of caring for medical practitioners
Why do Doctors contact MBANSW?
The Ramsay Way 2019 | 01 13
When a medical practitioner hears of tragedy striking a colleague – be it death, suicide, injury, illness, or strife – they often
wonder who is standing by that person (or their family) and how they can register their concern from a distance.
Chances are the Medical Benevolent Association of NSW
& ACT (MBANSW) is quietly and discretely in the
background providing support and assistance.
This charitable organisation has been providing financial
assistance and counselling support to registered medical
practitioners and their families for more than 120 years.
Its motto is: ‘By Doctors, For Doctors’.
Ramsay’s own doctors Andrew Wines (orthopaedics)
and Deborah Campbell (palliative care) are members
of the MBANSW Council, which is made up of 12 medical
practitioners with a wide range of clinical expertise,
background and experience.
Over the past five years, the number of new referrals
to MBANSW has doubled to as many as 60 annually.
Up to 80 medical families receive ongoing assistance
at any one time.
The focus is on supporting the practitioner or their family
through the crisis with view to a return to independence
or work, where possible.
The majority of referrals are for assistance through physical
illness or injury and/or mental health issues, closely
followed by work issues/stress.
Support falls in to three main areas:
• Basic daily needs (rent, utilities, food)
• Access to quality health care – health insurance,
equipment, medications
• Assistance to return to work or remain in work – medical
registration, college fees, indemnity, work transport
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
With an increasing number of referrals and the rising cost of
living, MBANSW resources are stretched each year to meet
the growing number of colleagues and families in need.
How can individual medical practitioners support or be
supported by the MBANSW?
• Make the call – early. All referrals are treated in absolute
confidence, however most people only come forward when
the situation is desperate. The social worker at MBANSW
can often assist in early intervention to help to alleviate the
personal or financial strain.
• MBANSW is almost completely funded through donations
from medical colleagues and groups (all donations are tax
deductible). ‘Giving back’ is a core philosophy of medical
practitioners; MBANSW welcomes charitable dollars to
support fellow medics and families.
• Tragedy strikes at the most unexpected times. MBANSW
advocates for every practitioner to carry quality income
protection support for greater confidence in their own
financial independence.
For more information, please contact Medical Benevolent
Association of NSW & ACT: (02) 9987 0504.
0%
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Bereavement Mental Health Critical Illness or Injury
Work Stress/Issues Substance Abuse Relationship/Domestic Violence
National
Scholarship
Program 2019
Ramsay Health Care has announced 12 successful
applicants for the first round of scholarships from
the National Scholarship Program for 2019.
The employees are from Mildura Base Hospital, St George
Private Hospital, Pindara Private Hospital, Mt Wilga Private
Hospital, Corporate Melbourne, Tamara Private Hospital,
Mitcham Private Hospital, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Vic
state role, Strathfield Private Hospital, Wollongong Private
Hospital, Corporate Sydney.
The National Scholarship Program is offered twice a year
and scholarships are available for both clinical and non-clinical
permanent employees in a variety of categories:
Category 1: Continuing Professional Development
Scholarship (Individual) $1000
Category 2: Continuing Professional Development
Scholarship (Team) $3000
Category 3: Undergraduate & Postgraduate Scholarship
$5000
Category 4: Clinical Coding Scholarships Fully Funded
Staff can locate further details by visiting the HR intranet
site under “Scholarships and Awards” to read our “2019
Scholarship Guidelines” and to submit an application in the
next round of offers.
Specialists from Greenslopes Private Hospital
change women’s lives in Uganda
Specialists from Greenslopes Private Hospital
sacrificed Christmas with their families to
volunteer their skills to help African women
in need.
Urogynecologists Professor Judith Goh AO, Dr Hannah
Krause AO and Dr Alexandra Mowat travelled to the
foothills of the Ruwenzori Mountains in late December
to diagnose and operate on women suffering various
medical conditions, including vaginal fistulas and
uterovaginal prolapse.
“Patients generally can’t get access to medical care or they
can’t afford to receive it, so the conditions they present with
are quite extreme. They have the conditions for a long time
or they come in quite unwell because they’ve not been able
to get treatment,” Dr Krause said.
Dr Goh and Dr Krause have been volunteering for more
than 20 years, while it was Dr Mowat’s second trip.
The trio, with support from scrub nurse Ms Melina Kreutz,
treated 144 women and operated on 109 women during
their two week stay in the remote region of Uganda.
Professor Goh said: “It’s amazing to see the changes
they have in their outlook even within a couple of
weeks. Sometimes when they first come in they are very
embarrassed and won’t say very much, but once we
perform the surgery a lot of them open up, they smile.”
Ugandan nurses visited local villages to identify women
who needed treatment and escorted them back to
the specialists.
Announcements were also made on the local radio service,
which was the only other way to inform women about the
visiting medical staff.
Dr Hannah Krause AO, Dr Judith Goh AO and Dr Alex Mowat
“The working conditions are actually quite tough; there’s
no air conditioning in the theatre, it’s in the tropics so it’s
really, really hot, and often there is no electricity. But with the
opportunities I’ve been given in regard to my training and
education, I think it’s just more than living a good comfortable
life, it’s to try to help as many people as we can.”
The visit was part of the ‘Medical Training in Africa & Asia’
project which is managed by Professor Goh under the
Health and Development Aid Abroad Charity.
Each of the team members self-fund their trips and
raise money to pay for the women’s surgery, hospital
stay and travel.
Greenslopes Private Hospital also donated scalpel blades,
vaginal packing gauze, sterile gloves, Marcain for spinal
anaesthesia, Mayo needles and theatre masks.
“Greenslopes have always been very eager to assist up in
terms of providing equipment, and the theatre nurses are
very good, in that they will ask us if we need equipment if
anything’s decommissioned before they throw it out,”
Prof Goh said.
Professor Goh and Dr Krause are also providing specialist
training to six doctors in Myanmar. They are also visiting
Cambodia during Easter 2019 to volunteer their services,
before returning to Uganda in October.
The other MBA….