People In Health Care; Dr Gaj Panagoda,
empowering underprivileged communities
Xstitch Health takes project based approach to
creating community-driven,
sustainable health outcomes
Dr Gaj Panagoda, CEO of Xstitch Health, has a diverse medical background and is working to improve health systems for underprivileged communities. In the Australian Health Journal’s People In Health Care series, he talks about the changes needed in community-based care using a project based approach,
According to Dr Panagoda, there is a need for a shift towards community-based care and collaboration with stakeholders in the healthcare system, and the potential to create a new kind of socially conscious, inspired, community-informed medical specialist is the future of medical specialty care.
Project-based job outcomes are clear, post-COVID community-based health systems are innovative, and the six pillars of Xstitch involve working with communities to identify strengths and challenges, collaborating with stakeholders, and deciding what’s needed.
Communities, including underprivileged ones, have untapped strengths that can be harnessed for their own healthcare journeys, and Xstitch Health aims to do something different by focusing on change management, policy, and governance.
“We are looking at a unique model to fund health projects based on community-defined issues and deliverables, with most interest coming from schools”, says Dr Panagoda.
He’s seen, schools in underprivileged areas that are providing services for students with particular needs, are interested in working better with health systems, to address acute issues.
Dr Panagoda believes medical specialists in Australia have untapped potential to address the wider needs of patients and can start taking action on their collective knowledge without waiting for higher positions.
Xstitch Health offers a new kind of job for doctors, combining patient care with system improvement and the opportunity to work in various locations.
Health professionals need support in their role in communities and a collaborative model for medical specialists is being developed to have a big impact across Australia.
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Harnessing the skillset and availability of the nation’s Exercise Physiologists and Scientists
Katie Lyndon MBA, BAppSci, ESSAF, FACHSM, CHE, AEP, AES, GAICD, CHIA, is an allied health professional and executive leader with nearly two decades of experience spanning executive leadership, delivery of strategic programs across the health system and clinical care.
As CEO of Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA), Katie brings a unique blend of frontline experience and strategic vision to advance the profession and advocate for evidence-based exercise in preventive health and chronic disease management. Her long-standing commitment to ESSA includes serving as Board Vice President, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Standards Council member and ESSA Fellow.
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Australia’s Nursing Crisis Snapshot
“Nursing, already under pressure, is reaching breaking point due to the pressures of COVID-19 and a disjointed healthcare system, including the acute, primary and aged care sectors”, says Kylie Ward, Australian College of Nursing CEO adding, “We must act now to protect our nurses and healthcare; the time has come for a national reckoning on nursing in Australia.”
Australian nurses cannot continue to work under the extreme pressure they are currently operating under – the impacts are mounting.
The almost 400,000 Australian nurses are a constant presence in every one of our major life milestones, national emergencies and global crises. The nurse of today holds a science degree, possesses highly technical training, valuable medical opinions, front-row expertise, is an effective trainer, and is skilled in population and systemic thinking. But the pandemic is inflicting a major emotional and physical toll on nurses.
In this “Perspectives” special, Australian Health Journal spoke with 4 nurses on the challenges they or nurses in their circle have experienced, the key issues as well some of the opportunities. These nurses come from national leadership & policy, large scale workforce management, a final year student completing over a year on placement across 6 Melbourne Hospitals and a NSW based ICU nurse stranded in Mexico, unable to return to a critical role in nursing to an already strained team due to incoming quotas.
While the issues are challenging, there are strategies that can be put into place to ease the pressure, to support nurses, and nursing care in Australia. These are discussed by the the 4 nurses.
– Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward FACN CEO, Australian College of Nursing
– Adjunct Professor Alanna Geary FACN ACN Chair of Workforce Sustainability Policy Chapter & Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer, Metro North Health
– Natalie Reyes, NSW based ICU Nurse Currently stranded in Mexico
– Hayley Pollock, Final Year Bachelor of Nursing Student & ACN Emerging Nurse Leader
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Strengthening Evidence Through Health Research Where Most People Access Healthcare
In February 2025, the Australian Government committed over $22 million for primary care research, including $5.2m awarded to Professor Michael Kidd, Director of the International Centre for Future Health Systems at UNSW and recently appointed Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, to lead the establishment of one of the largest research collaborations in Australia focused on improving primary care.
The Royal Australian College of GPs says a new national multidisciplinary consortium for primary care research is a positive step forward to improve patient care.
