Waves of Reform: Productivity Commission, Royal Commission and Medicare – What Does it Mean for Psychiatrists? – Conversations with Dr Astha Tomar

Dr Astha Tomar has been a private psychiatrist at The Melbourne Clinic for almost 15 years. She is the  Chairwoman of the Victorian Branch of the RANZCP and the Head of Youth Mental Health Services at Peninsula Health.

She has led the Victorian Branch response to RCVMHS and related Reform processes, including the new MH and Wellbeing Act and the Productivity Commission Report in Mental Health. She was on the Better Access Evaluation Clinical Advisory Group 2022, which evaluated the community’s access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and GPs through the MBS Initiative, DoH, Australian Government.

Astha holds and has held positions on multiple expert advisory groups, including the Mental Health Ministerial Advisory Group established to provide strategic guidance to the Victorian Government on MH System Transformation, Expert Advisory Committee on potential misuse of drugs of dependence, DoH, Victoria, member of SafeScript Expert Advisory Group. She is a member of Victorian DoH’s Mental Health Workforce Safety and Wellbeing Committee and was a member of the Mental Health Workforce Technical Advisory Group (WTAG), which produced Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy 2021-2024 and Victorian Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Capability Framework.

She is committed to the principles of equity, inclusion and diversity both at a system level as well as it being a personal responsibility of all. She is a strong advocate for asylum seekers and refugees.