Tribunal orders medical board to repay $185,000 in legal costs to former chief psychiatrist
The Medical Board of Australia must repay $185,000 in legal costs to a former chief psychiatrist who successfully defended an allegation that he had entered…
Heather Saxena
Heather is a medical reporter for Australian Doctor Group.
Mark Butler would be delighted with a 95% bulk-billing rate. So why aren’t my patients any healthier?
There is something deeply uncomfortable about celebrating the fact that GP bulk-billing rates in some of my local communities has reached 95%. Why do they…
‘Akin to a spell check’: Coroner suggests radiologists use AI to review images after missed cancer diagnosis
The SA Coroner has recommended that AI be used to support imaging reviews after radiologists failed to detect signs of gastric adenocarcinoma when looking for…
Medical Must-See: Long-term complication of conjunctival tattooing
Doctors are reporting what they believe is the first case of a corneal dellen caused by pigment aggregation from conjunctival tattooing. Unusually, the corneal defect…
Police drop investigation into gynaecologist accused of performing unnecessary endometriosis surgeries
Victoria Police have dropped an investigation into Dr Simon Gordon, the former gynaecologist accused of performing unnecessary endometriosis procedures on female patients. Dr Gordon came…
Boy died of scurvy after taking ‘multivitamin’ that contained no vitamin C, coroner finds
A six-year-old died from complications linked to scurvy after doctors had advised his parents to give him a multivitamin — only for it to later emerge…
You know it’s a sign of old age when getting out of the car takes four minutes
We are told that the inability to stand on one leg for 30 seconds without tumbling is a sign of impending old age. I’m sure…
We are losing the profession’s characters in pursuit of textbook-perfect medicine
Every profession has its characters. The law has always made room for the flamboyant barrister; politics thrives on eccentrics; academia has traditionally regarded a certain…
Medical Must-See: Colic remedy leads to severe poisoning
A colicky infant ended up with lead poisoning after being treated with an alternative colic remedy, Brisbane doctors report. The diagnosis unfolded after the six-month-old…
Tribunal grants surgeon anonymity after public reprimand triggered patient cancellations
A surgeon reprimanded for using a non-sterile chin implant has successfully argued that his name should be redacted from the tribunal’s published decision because patients…
