Principal Activities:

The continuing activities in which the Association was engaged during the last financial year was as a consumer association assisting medical consumers and representing their views via submissions and committee representation to government and government agencies A CD-Rom was published and lodged with the State Library of NSW. Various advocacy websites were maintained.

Activity Summary for the period July 2001 - June 2002:

The increased workload placed on the secretary has continued as result of consumer representation on various Government Action Plan (GAP) Committees connected with information management and technology. However a lack of members available to serve on such committees has meant that some requests for representation could not be satisfied. Liaison contact and some attendance at related meetings of kindred groups has been maintained including: NCOSS/ACOSS, CP&SA Health and Transport Committees, FLAC, UAGR, Seniors Economic Forum, CVAG, EMR Safety Network,

The main MCA website was upgraded and websites for the following kindred organisations were maintained and extended: EMR Safety Network, One Voice One People- Human Rights Defenders, FLAC, Health Committee of CP&SA, Oral Health Alliance. CVAG, UAGR/SEF. A total of 457 web pages of material are now supported.

The secretary presented two papers at IIR Conferences: Pulse 2001 Health Summit, November 2001 "The Medical Consumer in the E-Health Environment". National Medico-Legal Congress, Feburary2002 "A consumer view of e-privacy and the new legislation"

Written submissions were made on: Draft National Privacy Principle Guidelines: Mental Health Services in New South Wales:

Support of medico-legal cases have resulted in MCA sending observers to several status conferences at the courts. Lobbying about medical indemnity insurance issues has also been a major focus.

The first edition of the MCA Resources CD was produced by April 2002. The material totals 226 Mbytes in size and consists of just over 9,100 files. Included are: past newsletters, 119 editions; a selection of briefing notes, 23 in number. The layout follows the new MCA website in design and the CD provides a comprehensive history of MCA from its foundation in 1976 up to December 2001.

A proposal for change was also put forward  

A questionnaire would be sent to all members when the next newsletter is send out asking about Internet use by members.

Apart from the initiative on system dynamics models it was also put to the meeting that a more automated case data capture system using web deliverable form filling assistants via use of  java applets would save a lot of time and also allow for better project work on such tasks as:

1) Networking to get to the truth about patients suing doctors. That is how many patient's are suing , and why. And what money actually ends up in the hands of victims of medical negligence after the expense of fighting an action.

2) Devising a kit (that would include form letters, computer assistance via use of templates etc.) to assist in defining best path to take and expected time scale for advocacy action at the casework level for consumers who bring cases of service failure to the attention of MCA.

These projects were seen as requiring more extensive use of the Internet by MCA than is currently the case..