Newcastle doctor commended for services to medicine, education in Queen’s Birthday Honours

Newcastle gastroenterologist and physician Aidan Foy says it is gratifying to be commended with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Dr Foy is being honoured for his significant service to medicine, education and the community.

He joins other Hunter region residents including Emeritus Professor Francis Bates, Kathryn Pitkin and The Hon George Souris in receiving an AM.

“It’s enormously gratifying. It came as a huge shock to get it, and my first thought was that they’d made a mistake,” Dr Foy said.

“I can only be in this position because my colleagues have recommended me for it, and so that is enormously gratifying — particularly since nothing that I have done I’ve done on my own, that just doesn’t happen in medicine, as in most things.

“The things that I’m most proud of that we’ve done have been done with dozens of other people, without whom it would all have been impossible.

“You feel a little awkward about receiving an award, when in fact you’re representing the work of many people.”

Working in remote communities provides diverse experiences

Dr Foy immigrated to Australia in 1962, and graduated university in 1971.

Despite finding the profession challenging initially, he persevered, eventually working in gastroenterology.

Over the last decade, Dr Foy and a team of other medicos have worked in remote parts of Australia, including Alice Springs, Moree and Mungindi.

“That’s been one of the most exciting and fulfilling things that we’ve done. This is where it’s really important for me to say ‘we’, because it’s not just me,” he said.

“Our experience out in Moree and Mungindi has been really interesting and fulfilling.

“We were able to look at all aspects of internal medicine … and getting to know that community was very interesting, very gratifying.

“It gave us a lot of pleasure, a lot of fun; medicine’s too hard not to be fun … if it isn’t, it just drives you crazy.”

Dr Foy is optimistic the health of people in remote towns, particularly Indigenous communities, will be improved over time.

“All I will say is: it’s multi-faceted, and everything’s connected to everything else — level of education, level of economic development,” he said.

“If each person did what they can do, and didn’t spend too much time fretting about the things they can’t do, I think we’ll gradually get that gap closed.

“It is a huge problem, but it is not insuperable … over time, we will make things better.”

Doctors still facing challenges despite technological advancements

Dr Foy said the medical profession had changed drastically since he began in 1971, primarily through changes in technology and treatments.

However he said, in many cases, those challenges had put extra pressure on doctors.

“We’re living in increasingly difficult times; the resources available for care for people are limited; the burden of disease is actually increasing; the population is ageing; the patients are likely to come to hospital or to a general practice no longer with one condition, but three or four simultaneously. You need to be agile to deal with that,” he said.

“The public system is under constant strain, just continual strain.

“I would say it’s harder to be a doctor now than it was when I started out. You are using these [technological] advances in an atmosphere of constrained resources.”

Recognising others important

While Dr Foy is semi-retired, he said the people he had worked with had been integral in shaping his career.

“Medicine is a life, and it’s a journey. It’s not a job. It’ll always be the people that you remember,” he said.

While he is modest and humble about receiving the AM, Dr Foy said others in fields such as nursing and teaching also deserved praise.

“One of the things that makes you feel a little bit awkward [for receiving the commendation], to be honest, is that you’re perfectly well aware of the people who should be getting this ahead of you. There are many people who should be getting this before I get it,” he said.

“It’s the people who spend day after day after day doing difficult jobs for the benefit of others, for not much money, and absolutely no recognition.

“I’m delighted to receive my AM, but the truth is, we need to look at our values as a society.”