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International Women’s Day by Dr Ka-Kiu Cheung
February 2025
I’m the daughter of a first-generation migrant family from Hong Kong, with a biochemist father, so science has always been a strong presence in my life.
Dad would bring home microscopes for me to examine cells and telescopes to look at the stars.
And although I was never pressured into a career in science or medicine, I knew from primary school that I wanted to be a doctor.
Although, I enjoyed my time working in hospitals particularly in obstetrics and paediatrics, I realised that general practice gave me the opportunity to provide care to the whole family and often even the extended family.
It’s rewarding being able to support families from the excitement of pregnancy through to the sleepless nights of early parenthood and beyond and general practice also allows me to look after the people across their lifespan in all areas of their health.
But despite general practice being so vital to the future of Australian healthcare, we are facing a critical shortfall of young doctors entering the field.
The latest Medical School Outcomes Database reveals that only 10.5% of graduates listed general practice as their first choice of specialisation.
At the same time, demand for GP services is rising, particularly as Australia’s population grows and ages.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, between June 2019 and June 2023, Australia’s population grew by 5.2%.
More significantly, the number of people aged 65 and over increased by 13.1% in that same period.
With an ageing population comes greater demand for primary healthcare, and we need to ensure we have enough skilled professionals to meet this challenge – not just in cities but in rural and regional areas as well.
But there’s recent hope that things are starting to improve.
In 2025, the Australian GP Training Program – the national pathway to becoming a GP – expanded by nearly 20% compared to 2024.
Whether this is a temporary increase, or a sustained shift remains to be seen, but what is clear is that we must do more to attract a new generation of doctors to general practice and other medical fields.
So, why should young Australians, young women and men, consider a career in medicine?
First and foremost, general practice is the backbone of our healthcare system.
GPs don’t just diagnose and treat illnesses; they provide continuity of care, build long-term relationships with patients, and serve as a critical first point of contact for health concerns.
They work across diverse areas, from mental health to chronic disease management, maternal care, and preventative medicine.
It’s also a deeply rewarding profession with the opportunity to make strong connections with your local community and balance the obligations of your own family with your career.
So, to any young person reading this with even the slightest interest in medicine, particularly young women on International Women’s Day – take a moment to think about what you want to achieve in your life.
If you’re looking for a profession that is meaningful, intellectually stimulating, and essential to the wellbeing of our society, then medicine – and particularly general practice – deserves serious consideration.
For me, I love being a GP and the privilege of looking after families both young and old.
Dr Cheung has a special interest in developmental paediatrics and obstetrics.
Mental Health by Dr Lisa Beecham
August 2024
Mental health must be accepted as part of physical health and never treated as an add-on.
Time and time again it’s proven that there’s an increased risk of morbidity in people with chronic diseases if they also suffer from poor mental health.
For example, there is a long-established association between depression and type 2 diabetes, respiratory diseases, and cancer.
And we know that addressing anxiety and depression early can mitigate the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
According to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, the reasons people living with severe mental illness often experience poorer physical health include greater exposure to the known risk factors for physical disease.
These include smoking, poor nutrition, lower socio-economic status and reduced physical activity.
So, the idea of treating poor mental health in isolation from what’s happening with the rest of the body is something that just shouldn’t happen.
We can take our lead from integrated care models which address both mental and physical health in a coordinated manner that have shown promising results in improving overall patient outcomes.
When mental health issues are treated alongside physical conditions, patients often experience better management of their chronic diseases, improved quality of life, and reduced healthcare costs.
Incorporating it into the broader healthcare system not only benefits individuals but also society; it reduces the burden on healthcare systems, enhances productivity, and promotes a healthier, more resilient population.
By valuing mental health equally with physical health, we pave the way for a more comprehensive and effective approach to healthcare that truly addresses the needs of the whole person and our local healthcare systems.
There are plenty of ways to find available mental health care on the Gold Coast, starting with a trip to the GP who is skilled in treating all health complaints holistically and can provide a referral to a psychologist if needed.
The free Head to Health Phone Service 1800 595 212 helps people to navigate what is available on the Gold Coast.
There are also two free safe spaces for anyone experiencing mental health distress after hours at Southport and Mermaid Beach and great organisations such as Lifeline, Beyond Blue, Black Dog institute, Headspace for young people under 25, and online courses at This Way Up Mental Health.
And our team at the Gold Coast Primary Health Network is always ready to help people navigate what’s available to them at www.gcphn.org.au
Let’s get two important things straight.
COVID 19 is still a thing, and the strains of influenza we are seeing in Australia this year are as infectious as we’ve ever known them.
Nationally we saw an almost 29 percent increase in flu cases in the first quarter – just last week a 40 percent spike in NSW – and that’s a worry whichever way you look at it.
And our rising figures here which aren’t far behind the NSW experience, are largely because people, many of them Gold Coasters, for whatever reason are not taking up their free immunisations.
I totally get that part of the problem this year is immunisation fatigue left over from the pandemic, however the best way to stay out of hospital is to go ahead and have your flu shot right now if you are over 6 months of age.
It’s free, safe, and effective and it’s also recommended to have COVID boosters if you are over 65.
It’s proven to keep you out of hospital, and they too are free, safe, and effective.
If you have questions, speak to your GP, practice nurse or pharmacist.
Our immunisation complacency is having a serious residual impact on our hospital emergency departments, where we are seeing a spike in presentations with COVID and influenza, which all put undue pressure on our emergency departments and hospital beds.
It’s not too late to get immunised as we often don’t see the peak of flu cases until August.
Child immunisation
Here on the Gold Coast, we have three of the lowest child immunisation rates in Australia in our one, two and five year olds, which makes us as concerned as ever.
When many of us were growing up, it was common to see people affected by polio and chickenpox and measles and any number of other debilitating diseases, but because of the well-supported immunisation programs of the past, we just don’t see them anywhere near as much as we used to.
In other words, because our immunisation programs of yesteryear were so successful, a lot of people haven’t seen the terrible outcomes of such infections and they’re largely oblivious to the fact that these diseases can cause such long-term harm.
Take whooping cough – the 100-day cough, a cough that goes on for three months – if you have ever seen a YouTube video of a baby with whooping cough, it’s terrible and you’d never wish that upon yours or any child.
Australia is heading towards a whooping cough epidemic, with cases surging past 11,000 over the past six months, compared to 2,447 in all of last year.
That’s why we immunise pregnant mums against this and babies from 6 weeks of age.
We’re fortunate to live in a first world country, so why wouldn’t we all take full advantage of everything one of the best healthcare systems in the world offers?
And then there’s measles…
If you need further inspiration to roll your sleeves up again, look no further than measles.
We almost eradicated measles from Australia years ago, but occasionally we see highly infectious cases that have come in from overseas which spread like wildfire in local communities amongst those not immunised.
With almost all preventative health care solutions essentially a personal choice, let me make one thing clear.
It’s ok to have questions about immunisations that’s only natural.
The best people to answer those questions are your GP, practice nurse, community child health nurses and pharmacists and the SKAI website is a great resource too.
Don’t be lulled into complacency by the wonderful winter sunshine we enjoy here.
Get your immunisations up to date now!
COVID and influenza and other indiscriminate infections circulate among us and if you don’t want to take a jab to protect yourself, maybe do it to protect others like babies who are too young to be covered.
Dr Lisa Beecham is a GP and ex-Chair of Gold Coast Primary Health Network.
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