Medical social media has been abuzz with outrage over the alleged ‘silencing’ of doctors by AHPRA.

Much of this has been triggered by the specific case of Dr David Berger: a WA GP who was ordered to undergo training in communication following a series of social media posts that AHPRA said used “emotive and pejorative language”, some of which unfairly denigrated politicians, governments, doctors and pharma companies.

There is legitimate discussion about the difference between maintaining professional behaviour versus overreach, but many of the comments thrown around in the aftermath of Dr Berger’s case reflect an imperfect understanding of the role and status of the watchdog, as well as our responsibilities as registered professionals.

I can’t go into the specifics of the case. Not all of it is in the public domain.