Latest news with #MichaelClements
ABC News
15-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Burnt-out doctor's resignation forces change in one-GP town of Cloncurry
The resignation of the last GP in an outback town has forced Queensland health authorities to make changes to attract a replacement. Cameron Hoare became the only GP in Cloncurry, 120 kilometres east of Mount Isa, after purchasing the town's private practice for $2 in 2022. But he left this year, burnt out and defeated, for the sake of his own health. Dr Hoare's role was to run the GP practice for the town of 3,000 and be Cloncurry Hospital's medical superintendent. As part of a hospital service agreement with Queensland Health, the two roles were part-time. The rural generalist said the job-share model pushed him to the brink of mental collapse. "I was holding on by a string," Dr Hoare said, when he announced his resignation in March. Since Dr Hoare's resignation, the roles have been split into two separate full-time positions. Townsville-based outreach doctor Michael Clements purchased the private practice in June and is passionate about providing continuity of care to the people Cloncurry. He said a condition of the sale was that Queensland Health must abandon its job-share model, and separate the hospital and GP practice responsibilities. "He [Dr Hoare] was facing the normal pressures of running a small business, plus the Queensland Health pressures of providing 24/7 care to a hospital for a community that needed it," Dr Clements said. Queensland Health has since hired a second doctor, Jillian McClimon, in Cloncurry as the regional director of medical services. She began the role this week. Dr Clements said before he resigned, Dr Hoare advocated for separating the hospital and private practice roles, but his pleas went unanswered. "Sadly, it took Cameron walking away and the potential collapse of the service entirely to actually get the negotiating table working again." Dr Hoare has now moved from Cloncurry and is between roles in Far North Queensland's Atherton Tablelands. "When I made the decision [to quit] and started moving forward, there was like a weight lifted off my shoulders, and my physical and mental health just improved dramatically," he said. Dr Hoare said rural health worker advocacy groups, including the Rural College of General Practitioners (RCGP), were aware of the pressure facing small-town medical professionals and were doing what they could, but more action was required from governments to stop other doctors falling through the cracks. "I don't think these groups [like the RCGP] need the learnings, I think it's who these groups report to and lobby to and advocate to," he said. North West Hospital and Health Service (NWHHS) chief executive Sean Birgan rejected claims Dr Hoare's concerns went unnoticed. "We acknowledge the efforts that Dr Hoare's put in and also the comments that he's made about the importance that we need to have in supporting the medical workforce," Mr Birgan said. "We believe this model that we've put in place will do that." Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicolls said the new NWHHS's medical model in Cloncurry was designed to improve long-term workforce sustainability.
Associated Press
18-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Dr. Patrick Pilati Joins National Rugby Football League as Strategic Advisor
Advancing Rugby as a New Asset Class MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA / ACCESS Newswire / June 18, 2025 / The National Rugby Football League (NRFL) is proud to announce that Dr. Patrick Pilati, a globally recognized expert in behavioral finance, institutional capital strategy, and financial architecture, has joined the league as a strategic Pilati Dr. Pilati will work alongside the NRFL's leadership to help position the league at the intersection of elite sports, financial engineering, and capital markets. His advisory role will center on helping the NRFL evolve into a scalable asset class-supporting its long-term vision of transforming professional rugby into a structured financial product accessible to institutional stakeholders, family offices, and global markets. 'Dr. Pilati brings a strategic lens that's uniquely suited to our mission,' said Michael Clements, CEO of the NRFL. 'His global experience in financial innovation and market structuring will help us build a foundation where rugby can thrive as both a premier sport and a dynamic economic engine.' The NRFL is pioneering a next-generation media and sports property in North America by commercializing rugby-one of the world's most popular yet untapped sports markets on the continent. Combining high-performance sport, immersive digital content, and cutting-edge fan engagement strategies, the NRFL is crafting a premium platform designed for long-term commercial monetization. Dr. Pilati, known globally for scaling fintech, commodities, and alternative investment ventures, brings more than two decades of executive leadership to the role. His career spans over $80.6 billion in cross-sector global transactions. Most recently, in 2024-2025, he spearheaded the financial transformation of companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, scaling valuations from $400 million to $8.1 billion in under 12 months through advanced securitization strategies and behavioral capital modeling. His proprietary financial models have been used to reshape asset classes from digital banking to luxury commodities. 'The NRFL represents a rare opportunity to architect an entirely new asset category-where sport, finance, and technology converge,' said Dr. Patrick Pilati. 'By applying institutional-grade financial modeling, behavioral economics, and asset securitization principles, we can help shape rugby not just as a sport, but as a scalable, investable platform with long-term value for global markets.' This partnership signals a unique evolution in how professional sports franchises are conceptualized-not simply as entertainment entities, but as structured financial instruments with real-asset potential, yield curves, and integrated value chains. For more information, visit or contact the NRFL Media Relations team. Contact Information Steve Ryan Managing Director [email protected] 952-835-4364 SOURCE: National Rugby Football League press release
ABC News
19-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
‘Script hounds' leading to cannabis over-subscription
Medicinal Cannabis has been a booming market in both Australia and around the world. Its legalisation has paved the way for many to access the drug legally, often to treat conditions like chronic pain and anxiety. But New data from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency -- also known as AHPRA -- has revealed eight medical practitioners appeared to have issued more than 10 thousand cannabis scripts each for the highest-THC-strength products over a six-month period. The regulator is now raising concerns some practitioners are putting "profit over safety". Speaking with ABC NewsRadio's Rachel Hayter, Associate Professor Michael Clements from the Royal Australian College of GPs says profit-seeking is to blame.
