Why is the impact of menopause on older female doctors still a taboo topic?
Last year the annual scientific meeting of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) gathered in Sydney. One of the headline topics was…
Robert
Voluntary assisted dying is not a form of suicide
Voluntary assisted dying is now lawful in every Australian state and will soon begin in the ACT. However, it’s illegal to discuss it via telehealth.…
After watching my brother die in hospital, I realised he also needed the care of a good GP
My brother died at the age of 53 less than two months after being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. His death resulted from a…
The truly laughable cost of CPD — at least $8000 lost in unearned income
Having now completed my 2023 CPD requirements for the Medical Board of Australia’s accreditation process, I thought I might try to determine just what it…
Truth is, I’ve received more wisdom from my patients than I’ve ever given them
Patients may forget to disclose the most amazing things, like a past medical history of a Whipple’s procedure, or a previous cancer diagnosis, or diabetes,…
‘Leave him to die’: The inhumanity of life in a time of war
On a quiet moonlit night, our logistics manager John, a Massai Kenyan, came to my bunk and said there were two badly injured men that…
The secret superstitions of surgeons: How rituals impact surgical success
As a surgeon, when I routinely went to the OR, I had a ritual. I would wake up at the same time every day, pack…
Minister, you’re the one who needs to shop around – for a new job
According to Health Minister Mark Butler, patients just need to shop around to find a bulk-billing GP. Whichever member of his staff gave him the…
A 2000-year-old monster: My experience with anti-Semites
I am a secular Jew, the son of Polish parents and grandparents who were perspicacious and lucky enough to escape eastern Europe before World War…
For GPs like my mum, payroll tax is an act of betrayal
Victorians well remember their ex-premier, Dan Andrews, fronting up to his daily media COVID update in his North Face swag. Gripping the lectern, he’d diligently…
