The secret superstitions of surgeons: How rituals impact surgical success
As a surgeon, when I routinely went to the OR, I had a ritual. I would wake up at the same time every day, pack…
Robert
Minister, you’re the one who needs to shop around – for a new job
According to Health Minister Mark Butler, patients just need to shop around to find a bulk-billing GP. Whichever member of his staff gave him the…
A 2000-year-old monster: My experience with anti-Semites
I am a secular Jew, the son of Polish parents and grandparents who were perspicacious and lucky enough to escape eastern Europe before World War…
For GPs like my mum, payroll tax is an act of betrayal
Victorians well remember their ex-premier, Dan Andrews, fronting up to his daily media COVID update in his North Face swag. Gripping the lectern, he’d diligently…
When my patient made an anti-Semitic slur I stayed silent – until now
On my early morning walk, I found myself mulling over an incident that occurred many years ago and that obviously still disturbs me. A patient…
Doctors are being enslaved by malfunctioning hospital clinic software
Another day, another story: hospital clinical information systems having cost overruns — combined with a frustrating lack of utility for clinicians. Sound familiar? The number…
How getting lost helped Dostoevsky overcome his gambling addiction
Dostoevsky had to write The Gambler in two months. He had no choice. He had accepted 3000 roubles from a publisher named Stellovsky to keep…
Medicare has hit the proverbial iceberg: Rearranging deckchairs won’t help
The Federal Government’s boasts were high-volume. They were made in reference to its new policy brainwave to create specially tailored, co-ordinated care packages that would…
It’s time to question the ‘sacred cow’ of general practice
Recently I read Dr Heather McNamee’s excellent opinion piece, ‘GPs are facing extinction: it’s time for a rebellion‘, and I agree — general practice needs…
From Bollywood dreams to bipolar reality: a doctor’s journey
Since my teenage years, I’ve watched Bollywood movies of all sorts. My favourite hero was Sushant Singh Rajput. I liked him for his personality, his…
