August 27, 2024Northern Health anaesthetist, Associate Professor Suzi Nou, has recently been awarded the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) 2024 President’s Award for her outstanding advocacy work on private practice.
Suzi’s award was announced on 3 August at the AMA’s national conference, AMA24, on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
AMA President, Professor Steve Robson, said A/Prof Nou, the immediate past president of the federal Australian Society of Anaesthetists (ASA), was committed to improving conditions for medical professionals and ensuring patients have access to the best possible care.
“A/Prof Suzi Nou is an exceptional anaesthetist who is highly respected by her colleagues.”
“As federal ASA president, she mitigated the impact of caring for public patients in private hospitals, particularly on work conditions.”
“We want to honour Suzi for advocating strongly for specialists to maintain their independence, for public patients in private hospitals, amid the looming threat of bundled and managed care in the private sector,” he added.
Suzi represents anaesthetists on the AMA Federal Council and works with the wider profession to improve work conditions for doctors and ensure their independence.
During the Awards event, Suzi was abroad on sabbatical leave and couldn’t attend the ceremony. However, she said she was deeply honoured to be the recipient of the President’s Award.
“When Professor Robson rang me to let me know that I was the recipient of the award, I was standing in a campground, looking across a Norwegian glacier lake. It was a surreal experience and I was speechless,” said A/Prof Nou.
“I saw my role as ASA President and AMA Federal Councillor as an incredible opportunity to represent the profession. I learnt a lot about private health funds and their growth in profits and reduction in payouts to patients. I regarded it as my duty to speak about these things so that the independence of doctors be maintained and patients continue to receive high quality care. To be awarded for what I saw as my duty is an incredible honour,” she added.
Jake Geertsema, Northern Health Director of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, said, “Suzi’s tireless advocacy for both patients and medical professionals has set a new benchmark in our field. Her receipt of the AMA 2024 President’s Award is a testament to the profound impact she has made in healthcare, and we are incredibly proud to have her as a part of our team at Northern Health.”
From all of us here at Northern Health, congratulations and well done!
Featured image supplied by AMA
