The Hallowian - Volume I 2021 - Flipbook - Page 14
“
“
The collegiality shown
by health professionals
has taught me that even
though GPs work in
separate clinics, we are
a community with a
shared goal which is to
care for our patients.
AHSisters on the
pandemic
frontline
The COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a-century
event that has caused devastating health, social
and economic impacts around the world.
We asked some of our AHSisters to share
their experiences of working on the frontline
of the health response. From New York and
Oxford, to Canberra and south-east Queensland,
these courageous and resilient women have applied
their skills, minds and hearts, and no doubt the Mercy values
learned at All Hallows’, to care for those directly affected by
the pandemic, as well as the wider community. The overriding
message is that while the pandemic has been challenging,
the opportunity to contribute to the response has been both
professionally and personally rewarding.
Here are their inspiring stories.
12
The Hallowian | 2021
is Telehealth, which has been embraced
by both patients and doctors. Telehealth
continues to be a valuable tool as it allows
patients access to medical care from the
safety of their own homes.
Dr Maria Boulton
General Practitioner
(Class of 1994)
The years 2020 and 2021 have been
the busiest in my career as a medical
doctor. As a keen reader, especially of
the post-apocalyptic genre, I could have
never imagined the scenario we faced in
early 2020 with the looming COVID 19
pandemic.
I have experienced many disasters:
earthquakes, civil war, floods and cyclones.
Forewarned is forearmed, so early in 2020,
Dr Fiona Raciti, my business partner, and
I prepared Family Doctors Plus (FDP), our
GP practice in Windsor, for the COVID-19
pandemic. My night-time reading changed
from ‘fictional apocalypse’ to reading
research on COVID-19.
Australian GP clinics embraced more
change in weeks than they had in the past
decade so they could continue caring for
their patients safely. The biggest example
FDP has adapted and remained open (with
additional precautions and screening)
during the pandemic and we are now
rolling out the COVID vaccine.
During pandemics more people die of
non-virus related illnesses than the actual
virus due to presenting late with medical
issues. We are seeing an increase of
30% in mental health presentations. We
continue to advocate for more funding for
mental health and actively encourage the
community to not put off contacting their
GP with health concerns.
I am thankful for my team at FDP and all
the doctors and health professionals who
have given up their time to advocate for
the community during this pandemic. The
collegiality shown by health professionals
has taught me that even though GPs work
in separate clinics, we are a community
with a shared goal which is to care for our
patients.
Dr Boulton is Chair, AMA Queensland
Council of General Practice; Member, AMA
Queensland Council; Director, Australian GP
Alliance; and Vice President, Queensland
Medical Women’s Society.
13
2021 | The Hallowian