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A Brief History
During the early 1990s there was an
increasing awareness of shortcomings in the provision of
health services to the medical profession, and in particular
the provision of assistance to doctors and medical students
who had health problems that were causing, or likely to
cause impairment. This concern was widespread throughout
the profession, and investigations were made into possible
solutions to the problem. The Victorian Doctor's Health Program (VDHP) was established as a
fully independent entity separate from the Medical Practitioners
Board of Victoria and the AMA Victoria.
The program has broad support from across the medical profession,
including the Learned Colleges and Universities.
The VDHP received its first participant
on 19th May 2001. Since then there has been a high demand
for the program’s
services across a wide range of clinical problems. The
VDHP is believed to be the first Doctors Health Program
of its kind outside of North America. As such, it is regarded
as breaking new ground in this important specialty. |
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Our First Five Years
In the first five years of operation, the VDHP assisted over 850 doctors and medical students. Common problems have included:
- Substance abuse and dependence (alcohol, narcotics, benzodiazepines and other mood altering drugs
- Psychiatric problems including depressive, bipolar, psychotic and other disorders
- Stress / emotional problems including professional burnout
- Physical illness
The types of doctors who have presented to the VDHP for assistance have included general practitioners, anaesthetists, surgeons, physicians, radiologists, pathologists, paediatricians, and doctors who are not in active clinical practice, as well as medical students.
In addition to clinical work, staff at VDHP also participate in numerous non-clinical activities including presentations to universities, hospitals, colleges, and other medical organisations, and on-going program development and promotion.
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