An annual reflection on AEHA for the 2021 year

On this second-year anniversary of the formation of AEHA and the third anniversary of the of the Australian Consensus Framework for Ethical Collaboration in the Healthcare Sector (ACF), I would like to thank our members for their ongoing commitment to improving healthcare in Australia through your commitment to ethical practice.

Where is AEHA now?

Today our membership consists of 79 organisations that represent approximately 25 million consumers/patients and over 1 million health professionals, employees and trainees. Together, our influence almost spans across the breadth of the Australian population.

AEHA continues to be the leader of a movement for improved ethical conduct and collaboration in the healthcare sector. In the short time since AEHA’s formation in 2018, the Alliance has made considerable progress in delivering the ethical implementation activities determined by the healthcare community.

This has included bringing the healthcare sector together through AEHA’s Symposium on ‘The ethics of COVID-19 vaccination – from discovery to distribution’.

 It also saw AEHA distribute a number of key media releases on ethical issues within our community, such as:

In addition to national leadership in ethics, we are also thrilled to be continually recognised in global forums through speaking engagements such as:

  • The 2021 APEC Business Ethics for SMEs Forum Special Preview by the Government of Canada

  • The 2021 APEC Business Ethics for SMEs Forum Australia host session

  • The 2021 Malaysian Organisation of Pharmaceutical Industries meeting

  •  The 2021 Toronto International Summit on Leadership Education for Physicians. 

I am pleased to report that thanks to our members’ valuable engagement, AEHA continues to lead the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region in delivering one of the largest ethical consensus frameworks of the APEC economies and is recognised for leadership and progress on the global stage.

AEHA Priority Plan 2022–2024

Over the past year, I’m pleased to share that AEHA has shaped a priority plan that defines our vision, purpose and key areas of focus.

Through a largely consultative process with all AEHA members – which included a sector-wide strategy workshop of over 40 attendees – AEHA have designed a Priority Plan that represents your voice, and those of your fellow healthcare colleagues.  

Download the AEHA Priority Plan 2022–2024.

I hope that you will agree that our adopted vision is encompassing of all of AEHA’s members and is a shared vision that we can all embrace: “To achieve an equitable, sustainable and ethical health system that advances the health, wellbeing and interests of patients, communities and the healthcare sector.” 

Our appreciation

AEHA member organisations are a key part to progressing change in ethical practice, and I want to thank our members for their contribution.

I hope to continue to engage member organisations in AEHA’s activities through updates such as these, as we continue to implement the ACF’s ethical principles within the healthcare sector.

My sincere thanks to our members for their continued efforts during another difficult year for the healthcare sector, and for their commitment to encouraging ethical practice throughout this time and beyond.

Yours sincerely, 

Adrian Cosenza

AEHA Chair