caring for doctors by doctors since 1896

28th November 2005

This is the 109th year of the Medical Benevolent Association, or Society as it was originally called, and I am pleased to be able to report to you that the work of 'caring for doctors by doctors' is continuing as faithfully as ever before. Our social worker, Mrs Mary Doughty, and all members of Council are continuing to work hard towards fulfilling this aim.

In this financial year ending 30th June 2005, the number of beneficiaries helped either by counselling or by financial gifts dropped from 202 to 179 but the actual amount of financial gifts to beneficiaries increased from $166,404 to $293,093 - a substantial increase from June 2004. This larger amount of financial help reflects the increased level of need of the people we are currently helping. To meet this need we are dependent on the increased generosity of the individual doctor and the supporting organisations.

Unfortunately, the level of donations has reduced from that of previous years; however, the income from our investment portfolio, which has accumulated from past donations and bequests, has helped maintain our capability to meet this extra financial burden. Although our donor base has not increased, those who are donating have become even more generous. The 2004 Christmas appeal was notable because of the number of particularly generous donations received in the $500-$1000 range. In order to facilitate more donations, we have added Amex to our list of means of payment. Fortunately, unlike our Queensland and Victorian counterparts, we remain a tax exempt charity and a deductible gift recipient so all donations are tax deductible for the donor. We continue to take great care to do what is necessary to maintain this status which has again been confirmed recently by the Australian Taxation Office.

Nevertheless, it is disappointing that only just over 10% of doctors in NSW and the ACT respond to the mid-year annual appeal. It is our aim to increase this percentage by finding new ways to make our colleagues aware of the needs of doctors and their families who are in distress and so encourage them to become regular donors. It is also very important that those colleagues in need are aware of the help that is available to them through this organisation and should feel no hesitation in calling for help. In order to achieve this, we need the help of all our supporting organisations in publicising the work of the MBA; Councillor Elizabeth Rushbrook has developed a new information disk which may be shown at meetings or functions. It gives the history of the organisation, describes the needs of colleagues we help and the way the Association meets those needs. Vice-President Gary Galambos regularly updates our website www.mbansw.org.au and all Councillors and the social worker are available to speak as requested. A major, if not the most important part of the help offered, is counselling, advice and support through our social worker, Mary Doughty. Often this is all the help that is required but we often back up this advice with financial aid as well.

Ours is the only Medical Benevolent Association in Australia which employs a full-time social worker and that makes our Association a leader in this field of helping colleagues. We also make the services of our social worker available to the Doctor's Health Advisory Service NSW which our Association helped to form. Having a social worker allows doctor clients more freedom to share openly their problems and to feel that their privacy and confidentiality is being maintained. Confidentiality is critically important to the way we conduct this organisation; even though we are computerised, we store all data relating to beneficiaries on a removable floppy disk which can never be accessed on line.

The Association is grateful for the support to the AMA NSW for the use of its office equipment and its state of the art meeting facilities for our monthly meetings when we discuss each beneficiary's needs and the help we can give. We are also grateful to the NSW Medical Board which continues to provide the mailing list for our annual appeal.

Our thanks to Gary Scarr of BT Financial Group for his management of the investment portfolio and to Denniss Mattiske and Bill Nussbaum of HLB Mann Judd for accounting and auditing services and much other advice. We welcome and thank Danielle Doughty, our new administrative assistant, for her bookkeeping skills and dedication to work, even through having a baby girl, to Matthew Coombes for his reliable computer support services and to Mike Hawkins of In 2 Art for his expert advice on design and layout of our appeal material.

This organisation would not continue to function without the voluntary service of each of our dedicated Councillors; they bring to this organisation a plethora of skills and experience. It is a Council made up of a broad cross section of the medical fraternity so that the perspective of all sections can be represented when making a decision. Just to mention a few, I would like to thank Richard Herlihy, our President for the past seven years and Councillor for eighteen years, for the way he has guided this organisation during a difficult time of transition. He is now undertaking the task of looking at our Association's financial position in order to give the Council guidance on how to expend its income prudently and whether there is a need to be concerned about fundraising and/or investments.

Antonio Di Dio accepted the position of Treasurer until his extremely busy work commitments caused him to step down in March 2005. Vincent Wong accepted this role and has been doing an excellent job. Andrew Wines returned from the UK in 2004, was re-appointed to Council and accepted the position of Hon Secretary. Clement Loy has also been welcomed back from overseas and re-appointed to Council in April this year. Our other new Councillors, Sue Morey, Elizabeth Rushbrook and Yvonne Skarbek have made a valuable contribution to our discussions.

In March this year, we regretfully accepted the resignation of Stella Dalton due to ill-health and family matters. Stella was appointed to the Council of the MBA of NSW in December 1984 and has served for 21 years. During her time on Council, her understanding of the problems of alcohol and substance abuse and her sound advice have been helpful to our Council in making appropriate decisions. She has also given so much of her time travelling to attend the monthly meetings and was always willing to see any beneficiaries when the need arose. At the same time she was invaluable as a representative of Council on the DHAS of NSW. It was moved and unanimously accepted at our March 2005 meeting that Dr Stella Dalton be made an Honorary Life Member of the MBA of NSW at today's Annual General Meeting.

Finally, our Council is indebted to all your continuing support, to each individual donor and to all the supporting organisations without which we would soon cease to function. Also the efficient running of this Council can be attributable to the executive secretarial skills of Mary Doughty who, apart from exemplary counselling and advice as a social worker to our beneficiaries, keeps the every day running of our organisation on track as well.

It has been a great honour for me to serve on Council for the last 13 years and as President over the past year. The thought of following in the footsteps of David Pope, John Newlinds and then Richard Herlihy was quite daunting. However, I have confidence in the knowledge that around me are a very capable group of Councillors with much experience, knowledge and abilities to draw upon for help. I am, therefore, happy to continue to serve on Council with their continuing support and together we will endeavour to carry on this important work into its 110th year.

David Chen 
President

Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to present the audited financial statements for the financial year ended 30th June 2005.

This financial year saw a deficit of $58,252 for the Association, compared to a profit of $111,849 in the year ended 30th June 2004. Over the last 12 months, we gave a total of $293,093 to our beneficiaries; this represents a significant increase from the year ending 30th June 2004. We received $ 191,384 from donations and appeals, which was markedly reduced compared with last year. We hope this is an anomaly rather than a trend. Fortunately, our investment portfolio continues to perform well and our financial position remains strong.

During our monthly meetings we evaluate each case with care and discuss the best means to help our beneficiaries. The provision of financial support is the most direct form of assistance to the doctors and their families in need. We aim to help them regain financial independence following their crisis but, this sometimes be difficult to achieve. This is an area where the social work skills of Mrs Doughty come to fore, to ensure that every dollar given is used optimally. The challenge is to use our resources judiciously and to prioritise our support according to the urgency of beneficiary needs.

As in previous years, we are extremely grateful for the sound and friendly advice from Gary Scarr of BT Financial Group. Bill Nussbaum and Denniss Mattiske of HLB Mann Judd always present accounts in clear and succinct way, thus making the work of the Treasurer a lot easier. Finally, I would like to thank Danielle Doughty for her excellent work in book-keeping and Mary Doughty for her invaluable guidance since I took up the Treasurer's position in March this year.

Vincent Wong 
Hon Treasurer

November 2005

This year has been an unusual year for the social worker. The need for the counselling role has been the most important facet of the work. Many of the people who telephone asking for help remain anonymous; they ring for advice or they ask which is the best source of assistance for themselves. They are always assured that the MBA's counsellor is there to give advice or support if they cannot find it in a location that is more convenient to them for face to face discussion. A look at the social worker's costs for calls to STD and mobile telephones will show how many are using this facility to ensure privacy and who do not want to seek help in their own area.

Although the number of beneficiaries who are known to the MBA by name has decreased and is probably the lowest number since the 1970s, the amount of financial assistance needed has increased considerably in the past twelve months. This reflects the economic situation in the general community, with special emphasis on the rise in housing costs (and so mortgage costs), health funds, in rent and petrol. This is confirmed by surveys carried out by the Australian Institute of Family Studies across Australia.

There have been several medical practitioners with prolonged physical illnesses which have resulted in long periods away from practice and, unfortunately, show the problems that arise when no income protection insurance has been taken out. Those with a psychiatric illness continue to be at a disadvantage where the insurance world is concerned.

The problem of the family where the main breadwinner has a substance abuse problem remains a great source of concern to the Association. Its role in this situation is to support the spouse and to help maintain stability for the children.

Tertiary education needs for compulsory fees, computers and textbooks are covered and living-away from home expenses where needed. Most of these students do some part-time work but it must not interfere with their capacity to pass their exams; many have to cease work during the examination period.

For the first time for some years, there has been an increase in the number of retired medical colleagues who have not provided adequately for their retirement - not always through their own fault. Poor financial advice prior to retirement is often the cause of their problems. It is so easy to increase one's standard of living but extremely difficult to come to terms with lowering it after retirement.

As you have been advised, the Association has an Administrative Assistant who has taken over its financial affairs and, during this financial year, will undertake more of the administrative work so that the social worker will become the social worker only again - how I began all those years ago. It has been a nice feeling to have my daughter-in-law, Danielle Doughty, working beside me.

Early in the year I attended a three day conference organised by the Australian Institute of Family Studies; it covered a wide range of family problems, especially where there is separation and divorce. Quite recently I attended an excellent two day seminar dealing with grief counselling for those involved with death and dying.

It is also very consoling to have so many younger members of the profession coming on to Council and giving their time and support to such important work. With young families of their own, they know only too well the stress and financial problems that arise in times of mental illness and physical incapacity.

I greatly appreciate the advice and assistance that is always available from Gary Scarr of BT Financial Group and Denniss Mattiske and Bill Nussbaum of HLB Mann Judd. My voice on the telephone is a common occurrence.

My thanks, as always, to Laurie Pincott, Beverley Pretti and all the staff at the AMA who show great care for the Association and are always ready to help. It is good to have Mark Kelly back on the AMA scene; he has always been a great friend to the Association.

Mary Doughty AM
Social Worker/Executive Secretary

Election of Office Bearers for 2005/2006:

General Practice 3 
Hospital 2 
ENT 1
Surgery 1
 Ophthalmology 1
 Salaried 4
Retired 2
Psychiatry 4

Social Worker

Mary Doughty AM

Chartered Accountants

HLB Mann Judd

Auditor

HLB Mann Judd

Investment advisors

BT Financial Group

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Copyright © 1998-2006.
Medical Benevolent Association of New South Wales. All rights reserved.

Citation suggestion: Medical Benevolent Association of NSW, Annual Report 2004-2005 (http://www.mbansw.org.au/mba/report_2005.htm) [date accessed]

Last revised: 16 February 2008 07:57