3d. Virtual care
Tracks
Stream 4
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 |
| 13:15 - 14:00 |
| Room C3.3 |
Details
This panel session will explore the growth of virtual care and what it means for general practice, friend or foe? Panelists will discuss the impact, integration, benefits and challenges, without losing the human element.
Speaker
Dr Cathryn Hester
Chair, QLD
RACGP
Chairperson
13:15 - 14:00
Dr Chamira Ranatunga
Co Founder
Clinictech
Virtual care
13:15 - 14:00
Dr. Chamira Ranatunga is an Australian-based General Practitioner, practice owner, and co-founder of Thea, an AI platform transforming clinical consultations.
With extensive frontline GP experience both across New Zealand and Australia and a track record in operating medical centres, he understands the real pressures of modern general practice—from time constraints , GP recruitment challenges and administrative burden.
Through Thea and his broader work in healthcare innovation, Chamira is focused on shifting data gathering outside the consult room, enabling doctors to focus on what matters most: clinical decision-making and patient care, while reducing burnout and improving efficiency of the current work force in Clinics.
Dr Morgan Rayner
GP Integration Lead
Northern Health Victoria
Virtual care
13:15 - 14:00
Morgan is a General Practitioner and works with the Victorian Virtual Specialist Consults service to improve patient and practitioner access and experience.
A/Prof Amith Shetty
Clinical Director | System Sustainability and Performance
NSW Ministry of Health
Virtual care
13:15 - 14:00
Amith Shetty is an Emergency Physician and Clinical Director in the System Sustainability and Performance division at NSW Ministry of Health. He has held senior clinical and executive leadership roles across NSW Health, including Emergency Departments, hospital in the home, and eHealth. Dr. Shetty is an Adjunct Associate Professor in Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health at the University of Sydney, and an Adjunct Fellow at Macquarie University. He played a key role in developing a live COVID-19 patient tracking and risk stratification platform and is leading the NSW Community Single Front Door and mental health front door programs. His doctoral work on sepsis screening led to a validated digital EMR tool now used in Western Sydney. Amith has led several technology and innovation projects across various NSW health organisations. He has collaborated nationally to develop AI-based sepsis screening tools and continues clinical activities through rural ED stints and international charity missions.