C. R. BARD Inc., one of the biggest manufacturers of vaginal mesh implants, is ending all production and marketing after years of campaigning by women around the world.
Why the decision was not made sooner is astonishing considering C. R. BARD Inc. ceased the use of certain mesh production in the USA 6 years ago.
An aged care home on the far New South Wales south coast is reviewing its procedures, after maggots were found in a resident’s head wound.
Staff at the Eden Bupa aged care facility will undergo additional training.
Medical Error Action Group founder Lorraine Long tells Radio 2GB’s Ben Fordham “you couldn’t hear anything more appalling.”
“The government just cannot understand what is going on in nursing homes.
“Bupa is continually being sanctioned. Not just in Eden but across the states.”
“These instances need to stop.”
In a statement, the facility said they are working to ensure the resident receives appropriate care.
“Well, it’s not good enough Bupa. It’s not once. It’s repetitive. It’s “routine”. You’ve got your eyes closed to your failures in care.”
“If the general public can find out what’s going, how come your management can’t?” said Lorraine Long.
Dr Emil Shawky GAYED‘s malpractice was known to NSW Ministry of Health as far back as 25 years ago. The ministry let him loose on trusting women patients. These health bureaucrats deserve the sack. They’ll probably instead be ‘gonged’ for services to medical maladministration and malpractice.
How often do we have to read: “NSW Health system failed each of these women”. Heard this before? Yes, all too often. But what changes? Nothing. Why? Institutionalized indifference to human life.
What evil lurks within the NSW Ministry of Health to allow women, people for that, to be harmed and killed? As long as it didn’t happen to them.
Read more of The Guardian’s story:
CANBERRA —
If you knew what we know about breaches of medical record containment, you would OPT OUT without blinking.
Every transaction will be entered on My Health Record. Don’t believe government that it will have fortress-like security. Records are not secure now.
While this is an initiative for some peculiar reason,
next step will be an ID CARD. This is Big Brother collecting more
information on you. Hasn’t government got enough already? The nation’s
health as a whole in one basket… scary! And your DNA. The government
may start in years to come to profile you.
Insurance companies and Big Pharma will see this as a
treasure-trove of information they will seek to access for purported
research purposes. Governments are notorious for farming out such to the
private sector. Plus other sticky-beaks such as:
— Employers to deny you employment.
— Big Pharma to flog more drugs for you to take.
— Insurance companies to refuse to insure you.
Plus subpoenas served by:
— Medical defence for court cases.
— Insurance companies to deny your claims.
And remember our governments privatise anything they see
as a cash-cow such as our utilities, roads, hospitals, airports, ports,
electric light poles and wires, general post office, land titles office
and the rest.
Just think what a goody-bag our health records would be.
Don’t forget the many medical errors made every day.
Those errors will be transferred to your MY HEALTH RECORD and may kill
you.
Think about it. Make your decision wisely.
LONDON —
Infected blood inquiry opens: The inquiry will investigate claims of a cover-up at the Department of Health and the deliberate destruction of documents.
Last year SkyNews revealed previously unseen cabinet papers that suggested ministers were aware of the scale of the contamination problem in 1987.
Read Paul Kelso of SkyNews’ full story:
Infected blood inquiry opens – Contaminated blood victims seek answers
NEWCASTLE, New South Wales —
Gynaecologist Richard Ian REID, 76, who left a trail of devastated women patients across two countries and two Australian states exhibited such extreme conduct it was hard to distinguish his most serious failings, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) found today.
Dr Reid lacked honesty, “effectively abandoned” a woman patient with serious complications after pelvic mesh surgery, misrepresented himself as a professor and associate professor, “flagrantly ignored” conditions over his medical practice, failed to gain patient consent before implanting pelvic mesh in women and exhibited “zeal” for a surgical theory practised by only two or three other gynaecologists in the country.
Read more of Joanne McCarthy’s report in Fairfax’s Newcastle Herald:
LONDON —
Former UK Prime Minister John Major is among the politicians who could face questions over their role in transfusions that led to thousands of deaths in the UK.
As for Australia’s contaminated blood scandal, where 3 times more Aussies ended up with contaminated blood that their British counterparts, our politicians will be facing similar questions before long for they too went to great lengths to keep a lid on Australia’s scandal. But truth always surfaces, eventually.
Read more of The Sunday Times UK from Caroline Wheeler:
CANBERRA — Australian Capital Territory
ACT Health still in denial its operations are not secret and can handle everything their way. Who’s kidding who? Can’t pull the “privacy” excuse anymore which in reality is used for smothering their misfeasance.
For a tiny territory that demanded its own government, it still cannot get its health system in order in its short existence. Non-stop scandals, cover-ups, crises, bullying, patient, doctor, nurse suicides…
Pressure is mounting on the ACT Government to include public hearings and increased protections for witnesses in its recently announced review into ACT Health.
Read more of Daniella White’s article in The Canberra Times:
PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA —
Dr Keith WOOLLARD did not have enough experience to perform a complex angioplasty, a tribunal has been told.
The former Australian Medical Association (AMA) president has been found guilty of professional misconduct for making false claims about his training experience so he could be accredited to perform angioplasties.
In 2005, Dr Keith WOOLLARD told the medical advisory committee at Perth’s Mount Hospital he should be accredited because he had reached the training requirements of at least 200 supervised angioplasties, all logged.
Two months after being granted accreditation, he was asked to provide documentation, but the logbook Dr WOOLLARD sent only listed 154 angioplasties.
Dr WOOLLARD claimed he had assisted with angioplasties on more than 100 patients in the 1980s, supervised by Dr Geoffrey Cope, and therefore his experience “greatly exceeded” the requirements.
But at a hearing of the WA State Administrative Tribunal this year, Dr Cope said he had never performed any angioplasties with Dr Woollard’s assistance.
“If Dr Woollard scrubbed up and attended any cases performed by me, he certainly did not participate in them,” Dr Cope, who retired 10 years ago, said.
He claimed Dr WOOLLARD asked about training with him, but was rejected as being “far too fast, far too aggressive and potentially dangerous”.
Between receiving accreditation and filing his logbook, Dr WOOLLARD performed an angioplasty on journalist John Brown.
During the procedure, Mr Brown’s left main coronary artery was occluded. Dr WOOLLARD said he assumed it was due to a dissection of the artery by either the guide wire or the guide catheter.
Despite the intervention of another cardiologist and later a cardiac surgeon, Mr Brown died from complications.
The WA tribunal said Dr WOOLLARD did not have the experience to operate on Mr Brown, had failed to explain the risks associated with the angioplasty to Mr Brown, and had not told him of the option of referral for coronary artery bypass grafting instead.
In his defence, Dr WOOLLARD said the lesion in Mr Brown’s left anterior descending artery was not complex.
However, three expert witnesses said the lesion was complex, being angulated, calcified, ulcerated and larger than 20mm in length, with an irregular contour.
“By reason of the complexity of the lesion, Dr Woollard should have referred Mr Brown to a cardiothoracic surgeon,” the tribunal said.
“At an absolute minimum, Dr Woollard should have given Mr Brown a realistic assessment of risks and benefits, and alternatives.”
In findings handed down this month, the tribunal said that Dr WOOLLARD knew he made false statements when he applied for accreditation.
“In proceeding with Mr Brown’s angioplasty, Dr Woollard demonstrated an unjustified self-confidence that went beyond a clinical error and constituted arrogance,” it added.
Sanctions will be decided at another hearing.
SOURCE: Medical Observer, article by Antony Scholefield.
COFFS HARBOUR, northern NSW —
Heard this a thousand times before. Lie lie lie – that’s what hospitals do, nurses, doctors, administrators, bureaucrats. Tamper with records and giggle doing it.
It’s always “Oh, we’ve changed our routine from years ago”. The HCCC believed the hospital’s lies and took no action. Why? Why? Why? Hasn’t the HCCC learnt? What about the patient?
Multiple reviews, multiple investigations — usual spin hospitals churn out.
Don’t believe a word a hospital says when your loved one dies.
Read more of the ABC story:
Whistleblower, leaked documents expose deadly failures at Coffs Harbour Hospital
