Australian Doctor Australian Doctor 15th December 2017 | Page 7

ve wealth and the right to
ssues of 2017 in review
FAIR GO: On 16 September, hundreds of doctors and medical students rallied in Sydney to support marriage equality. Students took some time out from studying for exams to back the ‘Yes’ campaign in
a show of support from the healthcare sector. The AMA also backed the push for marriage equality, saying discrimination could have serious impacts on mental health. AMA president Dr Michael Gannon
and his leadership team said they would continue to advocate for change despite facing blowback from some conservative doctors unhappy with the stance.
Photo: Richard Milnes/AAP Image
fer in silence, both families became vocal
campaigners, calling for fundamental
changes to the medical culture, which was
struggling to look after its own.
In June, Australian Doctor ran a special
edition, titled ‘Doctors are Human Too’,
dedicated to those speaking out on what
they had been through.
Dr Geoffrey Toogood, a cardiologist from
Frankston, Victoria, who has made public
his own battles with serious depression,
wrote: “We need to learn to fit our own
oxygen mask first. When we are ill, we need
to be courageous and seek help.”
In response, the Federal Government said
it would help develop a suicide prevention
program, with the aim of “caring for the
carers”.
Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt
also promised to push his state and territory
colleagues to end mandatory reporting of
doctors seeking care.
By August, the Council of Australian Gov-
ernments had announced that it would start
work on reforms to “provide confidence to
health practitioners that they can feel able to
seek treatment for their own health condi-
tions anywhere in Australia”.
Knee-jerk reactions
In May, international experts made strong
recommendations against arthroscopies for
degenerative knee problems after finding the
procedure did not provide long-term pain
relief or improve function for most patients.

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Their review of 13 studies was the latest
to raise concerns about its overuse for osteo-
arthritis in older patients, with fewer than
15% of them showing pain relief beyond
three months.
However, orthopaedic surgeons rejected
moves to curb arthroscopy use in younger
patients, saying they were using the proce-
dure to address coexisting knee problems
rather than to treat the osteoarthritis itself.
Doctor’s $480K libel case
In June, celebrated orthopaedic surgeon
Dr Munjed Al Muderis, who is pioneering
the osseointegration technique transform-
ing the lives of amputees, won $480,000 in
damages for libel after suing patient-turned-
stalker Gerardo Mazzella and his brother
Rodney Duncan.
Mr Mazzella had a hip arthroscopy per-
formed by Dr Al Muderis for hip and lower
back pain in 2010, but a week later flew to
Thailand against medical advice.
On his return, he attributed the onset of
numbness in his penis and scrotum, as well
as the loss of sexual function, to the arthros-
copy. However, his claims were dismissed
by the courts.
www.australiandoctor.com.au
Dr Munjed Al Muderis.
The brothers’ campaign of harassment of
Dr Al Muderis ensued, run mainly through
social media for seven years, eventually cul-
minating in threats to harm him and his
family.
Speaking to Australian Doctor, Dr Al
Muderis wasn’t convinced his ordeal was
over.
“I think this will escalate at some stage
and he may come up with a gun or knife and
try to kill me... But I am prepared for that
and I don’t have any fear,” he said.
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15 December 2017
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Australian Doctor
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