VICDOC Autumn 2023 - Magazine - Page 60
HEALTH LEGISLATION
AMENDMENT (INFORMATION
SHARING) BILL 2023
We have recently
contacted Victorian MPs
from across the political
spectrum expressing our
support for the Health
Legislation Amendment
(Information Sharing) Bill,
currently being debated in
the Victorian Parliament.
In expressing our support
for the Bill, we are in no
way diminishing privacy
concerns, particularly
for mental health and
reproductive health
records. But we do need
to acknowledge the
current circumstances
as comparator; it is a
reality that patients’
health information is
already stored in hackable
databases or manila
folders by individual health
services, and data in the
proposed model would
be ring-fenced with the
strictest of protections.
As currently drafted, it
is our belief that the Bill
will greatly improve the
ability to connect health
information across our
public healthcare system,
which will reduce the
burden on patients having
to remember their past
medical history. This will
allow clinicians to start
treatment sooner. It will
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AMA VI C TO RIA
reduce the number of
unnecessary tests and
investigations and reduce
the risk of medication
errors. Indeed, in an
emergency department
in the early hours of the
morning — by ensuring
that medical teams quickly
learn what conditions and
medications their patient
has — it could be lifesaving.
HUMAN SOURCE MANAGEMENT
BILL 2023
Recently, the Victorian
Government introduced
the Human Source
Management Bill 2023.
The Bill provides for
those who owe a duty of
confidentiality — such as
doctors to their patients- to
be registrable as human
sources for Victoria Police in
certain circumstances.
It is our preliminary
view that the Bill should
more clearly define the
threshold for exempting
medical confidentiality.
The Bill should also better
address the sensitive
nature of the patientdoctor relationship in the
registration of reportable
human sources. Lastly,
medical confidentiality
could be officially enshrined
in legislation separately
to provide another
corroborating source for
medical conduct.
ROAD SAFETY AMENDMENT
(MEDICINAL CANNABIS)
BILL 2023
AMA Victoria was
recently approached by
Victorian parliamentarians
for our view on the Road
Safety Amendment
(Medicinal Cannabis) Bill
2023, proposed legislation
that in effect would stop the
prosecution of drivers who
test positive to THC if they
have a legal prescription for
medicinal cannabis.
AMA Victoria provided
the response that, given
that the science is not
settled on the effects
of cannabis and driving
performance, we cannot
support this Bill at this time.
VICTORIAN EATING
DISORDERS STRATEGY
Post-pandemic, the number
of people with eating
disorders in Victoria has
increased. This has been
recognised by recent media
coverage. In response,
AMA Victoria submitted a
response to the Victorian
Government’s new Victorian
Eating Disorders Strategy
to help design a system of
eating disorder care better
suited to new needs.
The overarching
perspective of the
submission was that
Victoria’s system of
care should be better