Failed medical system a sick joke

Doctors are among the most trusted professions in this country, and not without good reason. Universities only accept the best and brightest to study medicine.

DOCTORS are among the most trusted professions in this country, and not without good reason.

Universities only accept the best and brightest to study medicine. Those lucky enough to be accepted then face years of gruelling study and on-the-job training before being allowed to practise. Each day, thousands of people across the country put their wellbeing in the hands of these dedicated medical professionals.

Almost all of them receive care of the highest quality. But there will always be exceptions.

Today, the Sunday Herald Sun reveals a series of complaints about ear, nose and throat surgeon Ronald von Marburg. These complaints stretch back 15 years. Dr von Marburg has angrily rejected the claims, describing them as character assassination.

But many respected surgeons are willing to give evidence about the doctor’s shortcomings.

Despite the complaints, Dr von Marburg has remained free to continue practising. There are now pages of conditions attached to this surgeon’s medical registration.

The Sunday Herald Sun has published this story to expose a system that is slow to protect the public when substantial complaints are made. Despite the establishment of the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency in 2010, complaints can still be sent to different desks in different jurisdictions and no one seems to join the dots.

AHPRA was set up to ensure health professions were regulated by nationally consistent legislation under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.

While AHPRA handles complaints for most states and territories, those made in New South Wales and Queensland are still investigated by local authorities.

Few cases highlight the problems caused by this better than that of Dr von Marburg.

The surgeon is based in Albury, New South Wales, just over the Victorian border.

Despite the fact many of his patients are Victorian, complaints about his work are dealt with in New South Wales.

There appears to be no system in place to alert authorities to a doctor who receives a high number of complaints.

And the investigation process itself is slow and secretive. While it is important to be fair to doctors, it is also vital that community safety is protected.

The Sunday Herald Sun has today revealed several cases where patients have suffered great pain because of a surgeon who they say didn’t do his job properly.

Yet the system has allowed this surgeon to continue his work, imposing only minor reprimands.

The federal, Victorian and New South Wales governments need to examine this case to learn how things can be done better.

As Maurice Blackburn’s head of medical negligence, Kathryn Booth, says today: “If the system allowed different agencies to join the dots, this may have been prevented.”

While the process for entry into the medical profession is painstakingly detailed, the same cannot be said for the process of dealing with complaints about doctors. It is a mess. Surely it is time to have one body investigating all complaints in this country.