News
Goodbye 2017 : the year of loud and quiet reforms
IT ’ S that time of year again when we look back at all that ’ s happened in general practice and the wider world of Australian medicine .
With Victoria legalising voluntary assisted dying and marriage equality becoming law as I write , we ’ ve skidded loudly to the end to the year . GPs fought hard on both sides of these debates and the conversations around them will undoubtedly continue into 2018 and beyond .
The country also saw the introduction of the largest reform of healthcare since Medicare . Yes , you heard me right — I ’ m talking about Health Care Homes . But you ’ ll be forgiven for missing the official 1 December launch that went largely unmentioned , even in GP circles . It was a very quiet affair with no media fanfare or cheesy photos .
Despite the silence , Australian Doctor will be watching with interest how the 190 pilot practices fare under the new bundled-payment system for chronic disease patients .
More noise was made from all quarters over the Medical Board of Australia ’ s long-awaited competency checks plan that will see doctors ’ fitness to practise regularly assessed .
Australian Doctor also had a few milestones of its own . We launched a new standalone How to Treat website that houses our much-loved CPD-accredited articles and quizzes , alongside a host of educational and clinical articles and resources . If you haven ’ t had a chance to take a look yet , then please do at : www . howtotreat . com . au and tell us what you think .
There ’ s just one more thing left to say : happy holidays ! Jo Hartley , Editor email : jo . hartley @ adg . com . au
Rapist ’ s name revealed to ‘ protect female GPs ’
GEIR O ’ ROURKE THE identity of a convicted sex offender believed to be serially booking appointments solely with female GPs has been revealed in federal Parliament , despite a court order preventing authorities from naming the man .
AMA Victoria urged GP practices in Melbourne to stay on alert following a string of complaints from female GPs who had allegedly been placed in “ dangerous and unacceptable situations ” by a male patient .
The 40-year-old , who is being housed in a facility for sex offenders in the state ’ s west , had been requesting appointments with female GPs only .
Now Victorian Senator Derryn Hinch has used parliamentary privilege to break the order and name the man , claiming female GPs are at risk and need to be told the man ’ s identity to
PHOTO : Mick Tsikas / AAP Image
Victorian Senator Derryn Hinch
protect themselves .
Mr Hinch told the Senate last week : “ Although he has a history of raping , stalking and assaulting women , court orders — which I believe to be dangerous , irresponsible , court orders — prevent the AMA from revealing his identity to medical centres so they can stop these appointments .
“ You have to ask : why are a rapist ’ s rights more important than a victim ’ s or a possible victim ’ s rights ?”
Australian Doctor cannot repeat the man ’ s name for legal reasons .
But the former shock jock , who has been imprisoned twice for revealing the identities of sex offenders on his radio and TV programs , said he was “ warranted ” in doing so in parliament .
“ He has been living , supposedly under supervision , at Corella Place , the so-called ‘ village of the damned ’ near Ararat ,” Mr Hinch said .
“[ He ] has repeatedly travelled to Melbourne demanding to see only female doctors at clinics in the Preston , Brunswick and West Brunswick areas over the past four months and sometimes unaccompanied .
“ In the past fortnight , clinics have again been contacted by police to inform them he is again travelling to Melbourne with the intent of seeing female GPs .”
The courts regularly order the suppression of the identity of sex offenders to improve their prospects of rehabilitation .
However , the fact that police were unable to do anything to protect the GPs beyond issuing warnings to their clinics was dangerous , Mr Hinch said .
“ That really is noddy land — a dangerous noddy land ,” he said .
His comments came after AMA Victoria president Dr Lorraine Baker called on the state government to improve security arrangements for GPs .
“ General practice is an environment that is generally regarded as safe , but it is also an environment where it is very difficult to implement direct security procedures ,” she said .
2 | Australian Doctor | 15 December 2017 www . australiandoctor . com . au