Thread: If the Australian Medical Association (AMA) wants to have some input on safe return to sport during the pandemic, their first step should be to recognise Sport & Exercise Medicine (SEM) as a specialty.
AMA and their President Tony Bartone made a media release earlier this week cautioning the NRL against an early return to play and said that the NRL should heed “expert medical advice” ama.com.au/media/ama-urge…. I have comments!
Unfortunately, Tony and the AMA are speaking from a position of ignorance about the level of expert medical advice that the professional sports are receiving. There is plenty of expert medical advice going to the NRL and all other pro sports
There are no communication channels open between the AMA and the expert medical advisory groups to the sports. This is of the AMA’s choosing, as the AMA still refuses to recognize Sport & Exercise Medicine as a specialty and include it in the AMA’s infrastructure
Sport & Exercise Medicine (SEM) was officially recognized by Medicare and all relevant government bodies as a specialty in Australia 10 years ago, and in New Zealand over 20 years ago. The AMA has chosen not to recognize SEM themselves
In an alternative universe, 10 years ago the AMA could have accepted the government determination that SEM was a specialty, and appointed a position of lead of a Sport & Exercise Medicine (SEM) Craft group within the AMA
Any head of an AMA SEM Craft Group would have indeed been welcome as part of the expert panel of sport Chief Medical Officers that has been working with the AIS on plans for sport to recommence. But it is the AMA who've decided they don't need a SEM rep
Tony seems to want to have it both ways – he’s made it crystal clear that SEM is not welcome as a specialty group within the AMA, but now he’s complaining that the sports aren’t listening to the AMA and taking their advice on re-opening
For the record, pro cricket stopped on March 13 and the football codes all stopped by March 22. Non-urgent elective surgery was shut down on March 26. The latter has now restarted
I don’t want to debate whether May 28 is the “correct” start-up date for the NRL. It is a very complex decision and there is no right answer. But I can again say the NRL is taking into account a huge amount of medical advice.
All of the pro sports are getting advised by not only experts in SEM, but also Infectious Diseases and Public Health. They have treated the situation very seriously
The AMA is not informed about the steps that the pro sports are taking, nor the advice that the sports have received, and this is because Tony Bartone and the AMA are not interested in the specialty of Sport & Exercise Medicine
Hopefully there will be leadership of the AMA in the future that is more inclusive and will embrace all of the medical specialties. Until the AMA does this, they should leave sport & exercise to the medical groups that have an interest in it
Having said all of that, the AMA has been part of a successful response to the COVID-19 epidemic and are doing good work there. Stick to this good work and maybe even one day decide you’d like to add another medical specialty to your club /end thread
The AMA is not informed about the steps that the pro sports are taking, nor the advice that the sports have received, and this is because Tony Bartone and the AMA are not interested in the specialty of Sport & Exercise Medicine
Hopefully there will be leadership of the AMA in the future that is more inclusive and will embrace all of the medical specialties. Until the AMA does this, they should leave sport & exercise to the medical groups that have an interest in it
Having said all of that, the AMA has been part of a successful response to the COVID-19 epidemic and are doing good work there. Stick to this good work and maybe even one day decide you’d like to add another medical specialty to your club /end thread
@threadreaderapp unroll please
Further reading on why the @ama_media @amapresident @AMA_WAPresident need to eventually recognise the specialty of Sport & Exercise Medicine theguardian.com/commentisfree/… & smh.com.au/sport/australi… @ACSEP_
