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1 week ago | 
ausdoc.com.au | Heather Saxena
The humble GP is often seen as the first port of call and rarely as the last hope. But this could not be further from reality.
With a public mental health system strained to the point of breaking, and waiting lists to see even a private psychiatrist stretching out to half a year or more, the humble GP is there. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.
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1 week ago | 
ausdoc.com.au | Heather Saxena
By way of background, I must state that I am pissed off with the world in general and Homo sapiens in particular.
I am not depressed, but I have long realised we are a flawed species. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.
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1 week ago | 
ausdoc.com.au | Heather Saxena
A GP who said CPD was pointless and that he did not need to update his medical knowledge — despite graduating in 1969 — has lost a legal fight against emergency suspension.
The GP, 80, had faced almost a dozen complaints including five in 2023, mainly about his communication, before the Medical Council of NSW suspended him under emergency powers.
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1 week ago | 
ausdoc.com.au | Heather Saxena
Previously, I discussed my temporary relocation to the UK, where I briefly touched on my decision to take a gap year rather than work as a GP for the NHS.
My ideal goal was to completely forget that I was a GP and learn new recipes. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.
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1 week ago | 
ausdoc.com.au | Heather Saxena
Once upon a time, getting caught in a lie, especially a hand-in-the-cookie-jar one, carried consequences. Shame, maybe a grovelling apology. A promise to do better next time.
That was so yesterday, you honest fools. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.
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1 week ago | 
ausdoc.com.au | Heather Saxena
“I want to be very clear about this: I see an opportunity for reform of AHPRA and the regulatory system.
“I’m not talking about small changes. I’m talking about major reform.” × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here. Remember MeForgot Password?
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2 weeks ago | 
ausdoc.com.au | Heather Saxena
Free speech. Hate speech. Cancelled speech. Who has the right to speak? Can doctors who have never been involved in the research or use of new therapeutic products comment on them as ‘experts’, just on the basis of their medical qualifications? We may be living in a so-called ‘post-truth world’, in which everyone’s personal opinion holds equal weight, but in our professional world, who holds the expertise and credibility in highly specialised areas?
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2 weeks ago | 
ausdoc.com.au | Heather Saxena
In my twilight years of general practice, I’ve begun to be amused, rather than dismayed, by the patient who refers to a list of medical issues during a consultation.
A patient with a list, I try hard to imagine, is a patient who is organised, and as such might be more likely to listen to my sage advice. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.
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2 weeks ago | 
ausdoc.com.au | Heather Saxena
A GP allowed to practise with conditions for over three years has fought off a fresh bid to suspend him under emergency powers while he awaited sanctions.
The GP was accused of inappropriately prescribing alprazolam to two patients in 2018 and 2019, touching one patient’s breast during a consultation and promising to “pay for [her] services” if she left her family for him.
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2 weeks ago | 
ausdoc.com.au | Heather Saxena
As a cardiologist and stroke researcher, I’ve spent years researching and learning about the dangers of atrial fibrillation (AF).
This common condition can lead to thrombus formation in the heart. These thrombi can detach and obstruct a cerebral artery, causing severe stroke. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.
