College president asks leading anaesthetist to quit amid claims she ‘slurred’ her fellow doctors
Associate Professor Joanna Sutherland has ‘angered’ other anaesthetists over her response to billing allegations.
A leading anaesthetist has been asked to resign from her post at the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists for speaking out about potentially fraudulent billing practices within the specialty.
Associate Professor Joanna Sutherland was asked to quit as chair of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) Safety and Quality Committee in an email written by the president of the college, Professor David Story.
In the email sent to her last week, he claimed anaesthetists felt their reputation had been “slurred” by her comments.
The request came a day after Professor Sutherland was quoted in a news story about a group of 50 anaesthetists and surgeons who had been accused of billing private patients hidden gap fees.
