By Dr Danielle McMullen, vice-president of the Australian Medical Association (NSW) Sydney Morning Herald, August 15, 2019 People who want to obstruct access to abortion or prevent it entirely have linked it in a very insincere and flawed way to the very emotionally charged issue of gender selection. There is no evidence to support the idea that patients are approaching their doctors asking for...
Pelvic mesh implant patients want answers from Senate report
ABC 730 report, 26/3/2018 A steady stream of Australian women with pelvic mesh implants have spent tens of thousands of dollars flying to a clinic in Missouri to have their implants removed, claiming they have suffered major side-effects from the implants used to treat prolapse and incontinence. More than 35 Australian women have made the journey to the same practitioner because, they say, they...
Syphilis jumps to WA: doctors say ‘complacent’ safe sex attitudes to blame
ABC News, 17/03/2018 Some sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in Western Australia, with Aboriginal communities in the north hit particularly hard by a syphilis outbreak. Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid said Aboriginal people in the north had been failed. “It’s really sad that we’ve actually had and outbreak of syphilis that started in north...
Andrews Government backflips on safe injecting room trial because current drug policy ‘not working’
ABC News, 31/10/2017 Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has said he changed his mind about supporting a safe injecting room trial in inner Melbourne because a jump in the number of overdoses showed the current approach was failing. The Government has confirmed it will hold a two-year trial a centre at heroin hotspot North Richmond under a bold plan that includes tougher penalties for drug...
AMA throws its weight behind same-sex marriage, declares it a health issue
The Age, May 20, 2017 The nation’s most powerful doctors’ group has thrown its weight behind same-sex marriage for the first time, declaring it a public health issue and calling on politicians to end the divisive debate. In an unprecedented move, the president of the typically conservative group, Dr Michael Gannon, has written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader...
AMA calls for needle and syringe programs (NSPs) to be introduced in prisons
Australian Medical Association, January 9th 2017 The AMA has called for needle and syringe programs (NSPs) to be introduced in prisons and other custodial settings, to reduce the spread of Blood Borne Viruses (BBVs) including hepatitis B and C, and HIV. AMA President, Dr Michael Gannon, said today that prevalence of BBVs is significantly higher in prisons, yet custodial facilities provide a...