So why the resignation??? Money! - insurance being up from 60,000 to 90,000 Law suits! - ( most are due to a lack of comunication etc..) Didn't like particular hospital and any advancements in the industry... B Mid was in her opinion fraut with problems but none were named and wouldn't the relevant issues of hypertension and diabetes especially relating to pregnancy be covered in the course - has she seen the course outline?? I have not but would presume that these things and Pre eclamsia etc would be well covered. and lawers get too much and then to add that the plaintif does not recieve financial advice - well that was an interesting but irrelivant point wasn't it. Oh and then they add that she really has not retired to live on a pension etc because she has a job on the medical board.
Thanks for this - I found it very typical of a dr. Is this a sign of the times? Rhonda. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fiona Gorrel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "bimid collective" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "oz midwifery" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2002 10:16 PM Subject: The Canberra Times article. > Hello All, > > Thought you might like to see an article that was in > the paper today. > > I particularly liked the broad reference to the B Mid. > > Cheers for now > > Fiona > > 'Obstetrician fed up with the hostility' > GRAHAM COOKE > > One of Canberra's most experienced obstetricians and > gynaecologists has decided to retire, partly because > of what she sees as a growing hostility between > doctors and patients. > > Heather Munro also has "real fears" for Canberra > Hospital, which, she says, is rapidly losing its > senior expertise in her field. > > In 25 years of practice in Canberra, Dr Munro has > delivered thousands of babies and treated the ailments > of generations of women. In recent times, she has > detected a "change of atmosphere". > > "I believe it is good that patients keep themselves > informed and I have no problems about them questioning > what we do, but some are becoming really hostile and > refusing to discuss the issues," she said. > > "The kind of retort I have been getting is 'you are > saying this because you are the doctor and I'm not > going to believe you'. I find that quite demeaning and > it is not the way I want to practise." > > She said a patient put the point succinctly. "She was > a schoolteacher and said that if I came into her > classroom and told her what to do she would be > mortified and angry. Teaching was her experience, > obstetrics and gynaecology are mine. > > "These days patients get fed a great deal of > information. There is a lot available on the Internet, > some of it very good, some totally biased to a > particular point of view." > > One of the decisions that had to be left to the > obstetrician was when to intervene in a birth. "Nature > is not always the best midwife and sometimes > intervention is right, obviously so in cases of > hypertension and breech," she said. "Unfortunately > there has been a lot of antipathy between midwives and > some doctors, and the press have loved it. There are a > lot of good midwives in Canberra, but there are some > who do not realise their limitations. They can't do > everything, and caesarean sections are an obvious > example." > > She had reservations about new procedures that would > allow young people to go straight into midwifery > without first doing general nursing. > > "It is fraught with complications; there is a lot > which midwives must know which comes from general > nursing experience of things like diabetes and > hypertension." > > Dr Munro's retirement as an active practitioner will > be total. "I can't do part-time work because the > moment I deliver one baby I have to pay a full years' > fees for insurance against litigation. Last year I > paid $60,000 and this year it would have been $90,000. > So my expertise is simply not available. If I give one > opinion and something goes wrong I could be sued. > > "The ACT has some special problems. We have a lot of > older mums who are purposely conceiving later in life, > and that does produce a higher rate of complications. > In addition, complicated pregnancies are drawn from > the region. > > "This is something which will have to be addressed > before it becomes uneconomic to practise. We need a > fault scheme as exists in New Zealand. > > "One of the great difficulties in our system is that > the plaintiffs do not do well out of it, nor do the > doctors . . . only the lawyers benefit. > > "If they do win a large payment, even after the > lawyers have taken their fees, they don't get much > advice about how to stretch it out over the rest of > their lives." > > Her expertise as an administrator and policy-maker > will continue to be utilised through her work for the > Medical Board of the ACT, which she chairs. She is > also a member of the Australian Medical Council. "The > board deals with registrations, which are largely > routine, but there are also programs to assist doctors > with problems, and there is a complaints unit for > patients." The council was originally set up to judge > the qualifications of overseas-trained doctors, but > has since widened its brief and is now looking at > standards in medical schools and colleges. > > In recent years she has practised at John James > Hospital, having decided she did not like the > direction Canberra Hospital was taking. > > "I really feel for Canberra because most of the senior > staff in obstetrics and gynaecology have either > resigned or are working out their notice. It was > interesting that when I resigned no-one bothered to > ask me why." > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! 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