On Thursday 17 December Dr Kym Jenkins, Chair, CPMC welcomed all Colleges to the 144th meeting and the 20th for 2020 and extended her appreciation to Directors for their contribution and expertise throughout the year and to Ms Magarry as company CEO.
A COVID-19 vaccine status update was provided noting the international developments around the emergency authorisation for use in Canada, the UK and USA of the Pfizer vaccine; the likelihood of the MRNA vaccine by Moderna, and the first trial results of the AstraZeneca vaccine underway In Australia. At the January 2021 CPMC a full briefing will be provided on the Australian roll-out of a vaccine.
The final draft of a National Medical Workforce Strategy was discussed with officials from the Department of Health. The consultation is open until 27 January 2021. The collaborative vision and need for a national health policy to guide the investment in the medical workforce for the Australian health system is supported in-principle. Colleges noted a comprehensive implementation plan is expected to inform progress of the Strategy over a ten-year period to 2031. This will include a national data strategy.
CPMC is committed to the maintenance of the integrity of Australia’s system of Medicare and welcomed a policy update from Commonwealth Senior Officials regarding the Department’s key areas of focus and action in 2020-21 to assure compliance under the Health Insurance Act 1973, subsection 19(2).
The research project Effecting Reforms in Australia’s Medical Training System Post COVID can be found at: https://cpmc.edu.au/council-media/ A status update on the phases of the CPMC research policy project was provided to Colleges, noting Phase one is fully underway. In 2021 a merger will occur with the Australian Medical Council to incorporate regulatory impact, and in partnership with the Australian Government, any recommendations will feed into the National Medical Workforce Strategy at priority 5.
CPMC will hold a Board meeting in January 2021. The regular quarterly full CPMC meeting dates can be found at https://cpmc.edu.au/about-us/meetings/ The CPMC office will close for Public Holidays over the holiday season.
Contact Ms Angela Magarry, CEO at ceo@cpmc.edu.au
Authorised for release by Dr Kym Jenkins, Chair, CPMC, 18 December 2020