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M E D I C U S
A P R I L 2 0 1 6
P R E S I D E N T ’ S D E S K
T
his edition of
Medicus
has
been dedicated to the issue
of Sexual Harassment. I wrote
on the topic as recently as October.
I applaud my friend and colleague
Dr Tony Bartone, President of AMA
Victoria, for the outstanding work
he and his colleagues have done in
convening a symposium. The College
of Surgeons' good work continues.
Other state AMAs and Colleges are
responding to the issue.
In WA, we have convened a taskforce
with nominees from the Health
Department and representatives of
the AMA to progress the issue. I am
delighted that AMA (WA) Vice
President and Head of Department,
Orthopaedic Surgery at Fremantle
Hospital, Dr Omar Khorshid, and Head
of Department, Orthopaedic Surgery
at Princess Margaret Hospital,
Dr Kate Stannage, have accepted my
invitation to represent their colleagues
on this important group. Dr Melita
Cirillo, previously Chair of the AMA
Doctors in Training Committee, is also
on the Taskforce and will provide an
important junior doctor perspective.
There can be no question that sexual
harassment is unacceptable, unethical
and entirely inappropriate. Unsafe
workplaces threaten the safety of our
patients.
In recent months, the AMA has also
written to other major employers
including the Universities, St John of
God Health Care and Ramsay Health
Care. We hope to continue to work
collaboratively with them on this very
complex problem.
Of course, the dominant employer in
the health system is the Department
of Health. There is broad agreement
that there should be a zero tolerance
approach to inappropriate behaviour.
Working out appropriate reporting
mechanisms will require careful
thought.
It would be inappropriate for the AMA
to ‘own’ the process with doctors in
training perhaps fearing the power of
consultants and their relationships with
AMA Councillors. We know from the
survey on Sexual Harassment in the
Workplace that the Health Department
does not currently have the appropriate
mechanisms for it to be reported
without a threat to reputation and
career progression. I do not believe
the Medical Board to be the
appropriate authority.
In this edition, you will see
the results of the AMA (WA)
Survey on Sexual Harassment in the
Workplace, which show exactly how
hard our colleagues have found it to
report incidents in the past.
Any mechanism also needs to
recognise principles of natural justice
in protecting the accused. We have
seen with the change to the reporting
culture to the Medical Board and AHPRA
in recent years, how easy it is for our
colleagues to face great stress, sadness
and anxiety from vexatious claims. Sadly,
the most frivolous of complaints can still
take months to go away.
The processes also need to be
nimble enough to recognise changes
in the dynamics of the profession.
The most common form of bullying
and harassment I have observed in
my career has been the behaviour
of midwives towards male medical
students and female registrars. The
attitude to young men on public
hospital labour wards is one factor
contributing to the fact that now
only around 15 per cent of trainees
in my specialty of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology are male. This area of
practice will be richer if this number
increases again. I have no doubt that
surgical practice will be a great deal
richer if it can fix negative aspects of its
culture and encourage more women to
commence and successfully complete
training.
This month’s edition of
Medicus
will
make for uncomfortable reading. But
the amazing response to the survey
suggests that we have a very sad, but
very real problem.
These issues are in no way limited to
medical practice, but our hierarchical
Stamp out instances which
diminish our proud profession
Continued on page 3