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16 FEBRUARY 2024
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Marine stings and poisonings
HOW TO TREAT , PAGE 17
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A journey into the unknown NEWS , PAGE 3 |
Rectal feeding
NEWS , PAGE 5
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No way back for banned GP
NEWS REVIEW , PAGE 31
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Fighting injustice
NEW
Ousted doctor awarded OAM for disability advocacy .
Heather Saxena “ STOP work now .”
With three words , a bureaucrat ended Dr David Squirrell ’ s 30-year medical career .
It was 2008 , and at the time he was a senior consultant in aged care assessment and rehabilitation in Noarlunga in Adelaide .
He had 20 inpatients under his care and was supervising an RMO and a registrar .
Warning on osteo drug
Rachel Fieldhouse THE US medicines regulator has slapped a boxed warning on the osteoporosis medication denosumab regarding the increased risk of severe hypocalcaemia in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease .
The safety alert follows a US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) investigation into the risk of serious outcomes , including death and hospitalisation , in those with impaired renal function prescribed denosumab ( Prolia ).
The TGA updated the product information for the drug last August to include warnings following post-marketing reports of severe hypocalcaemia .
It said the adverse event mostly occurred within weeks of treatment and predominantly affected patients who had severe renal impairment , were receiving dialysis , or used other calcium-lowering medications .
“ In patients predisposed to hypocalcaemia … clinical PAGE 2
Nobody had complained about his competency or conduct .
But his own doctor had notified the medical board of his deteriorating vision and hearing . As a result of Usher syndrome , Dr Squirrell ’ s hearing had been in decline since 1987 , and his vision since 1993 — the year he achieved RACGP fellowship .
“ That call was cold , callous , blunt ,” he says .
“ I knew it was coming , but there was no counselling , no follow-up , no
‘ I could have been depressed and angry , but I decided , no .’
‘ Can we help you with the emotional reality of losing your career ?’”
Nor was he offered the chance to plead his case to continue in a different capacity .
His work had been hands-on ; as a rural proceduralist , he had administered more than 6000 anaesthetics and delivered some
600 babies .
But he had also done research , as well as spending seven years as director of Noarlunga Hospital ’ s ED , where he assessed various hospital avoidance strategies in primary care .
“ I could still have done that type of work . But the board said , ‘ You are either fully registered or fully unregistered .’
“ I guess I could have been depressed and angry , but I decided , ‘ No . Doors open and doors close .’
“ So I thought , ‘ What do I know how to do best ?’ “ The answer was to fight injustice .” So he accepted the presidency of the Blind Citizens Australia committee ( SA ).
One of his first acts was to walk every street in Adelaide ’ s Hallett Cove with his carer and guide dog , PAGE 4
Why do we doctors struggle so much to talk to each other ?
OPINION , PAGE 14
Dr Anne Stephenson .
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