Remember the ‘good news, bad news’ game you played as a kid?
Good news! You’re getting a free ice cream! Hooray!
Bad news! It’s already melted. Argh!
Victoria’s been playing a fair bit of ‘good news, bad news’ in the last month – or ‘bad news, good news’, as it were.
In a heartbreaking but necessary decision, GP21 has been cancelled. What couldn’t be cancelled though was the passion, professionalism, work ethic and innovation of the GP21 committee and of Melissa Avard and her events team. Our fantastic ideas and sessions will be used next year.
COVID: 1
GP21 team: 1
In another tough moment, RACGP Victoria had to suspend all remaining face-to-face engagements due to the sheer unpredictability of the pandemic environment. But you can’t keep a good events team down: we already have 2022 events in the pipeline, including our much-anticipated return to Fellowship Ceremonies for 850 deserving Fellows. I cannot wait to call out those names.
COVID: 1
Events team: 1
One of the hardest realities has been Victoria’s rising COVID-19 numbers and the distress of ongoing lockdowns. GPs across the state have had to dig ever deeper to keep going under very difficult circumstances. Despite the cognitive, emotional and physical fatigue, we’ve endured; in areas of low vaccination rates, especially in the north and west, we’ve seen surges in vaccinated patient numbers.
COVID: 1
GPs: 1
Finally, the challenge of general practice furloughing has stretched us all. Managing the implications of closed practices has been overwhelming. Despite the hugeness of this, we’ve stayed the course in the name of patient and community safety, at great personal costs. RACGP Victoria and the Victorian Department of Health teamed up to rationalise furloughing for our sector and delivered guidance our complex environment.
COVID: 1
GP advocacy and relationship with VDoH: 1
COVID continues to throw curve balls at us, but Victorian GPs are still hitting back.
Dr Anita Muñoz
Chair, RACGP Victoria