Radiologists are puzzled by a sudden surge in requests for a combination lumbar and lower thorax x-ray of women. In one private company where usually only one of these scans is requested each year, there have been about 20 in the past two months.
In one case we know of , a woman was told to have an x-ray by a male doctor she had never met and thus had not been examined by him. Out of the blue, came a call from his surgery telling her to come and get her referral for an x-ray. Why, what’s wrong ? Back came the reply that the woman had filled in a questionnaire for a private company which concluded she was in an age group susceptible to osteoporosis , so “ the doctor”, had felt she should undergo an x-ray.
Is this the explanation for the other 19 or so women sent for x-rays ? There are other questions . Is this a drug company sponsored drive nation- wide or just here in the Territory? Should women be sent for x-rays without a prior examination ? What is the AMA policy in respect of members sending people off to be x-rayed without even seeing them ?
Little Darwin understands there has been an explosion in the number of x-rays in the Territory . So much so, that the storage of x-ray plates is a problem, some are lost or thrown out , only kept for one month. A legal friend has pointed out that turfing out plates so early could hide acts of medical negligence and hamper subsequent legal action. If there is anyone in Darwin called a health reporter / correspondent , like Norman Swan of the ABC , an in depth investigation into the growth of x-rays and other aspects of the public and private health service in the Territory would be beneficial for the community. So much of what passes for health reporting in the Territory is really following up Health Department / Ministerial media releases and coronial findings.
What happened to gynaecological oncologist Professor Margaret Davy who was treated so shabbily at the Royal Darwin Hospital ? The issue,like so many others in Darwin, has just disappeared off the radar. The Weekend Australian is carrying a large display advert for two heads of departments and a medical CO director in obstetrics and gynaecology at Royal Darwin Hospital . The duty statement includes areas in which Professor Davy was active, including Indigenous health in remote communities. She had pointed out that a situation existed at RDH where professionals trained in Australia eager to come to the Territory had been told there were no positions vacant , only to find out somebody had been appointed from overseas. Whether this was due to overseas trained doctors being paid less, she was unable to say.
The Weekend Australian states that applicants for the positions "would be expected " to be an experienced Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology . Is this due to Professor Davy highlighting the RDH situation ?
In one case we know of , a woman was told to have an x-ray by a male doctor she had never met and thus had not been examined by him. Out of the blue, came a call from his surgery telling her to come and get her referral for an x-ray. Why, what’s wrong ? Back came the reply that the woman had filled in a questionnaire for a private company which concluded she was in an age group susceptible to osteoporosis , so “ the doctor”, had felt she should undergo an x-ray.
Is this the explanation for the other 19 or so women sent for x-rays ? There are other questions . Is this a drug company sponsored drive nation- wide or just here in the Territory? Should women be sent for x-rays without a prior examination ? What is the AMA policy in respect of members sending people off to be x-rayed without even seeing them ?
Little Darwin understands there has been an explosion in the number of x-rays in the Territory . So much so, that the storage of x-ray plates is a problem, some are lost or thrown out , only kept for one month. A legal friend has pointed out that turfing out plates so early could hide acts of medical negligence and hamper subsequent legal action. If there is anyone in Darwin called a health reporter / correspondent , like Norman Swan of the ABC , an in depth investigation into the growth of x-rays and other aspects of the public and private health service in the Territory would be beneficial for the community. So much of what passes for health reporting in the Territory is really following up Health Department / Ministerial media releases and coronial findings.
What happened to gynaecological oncologist Professor Margaret Davy who was treated so shabbily at the Royal Darwin Hospital ? The issue,like so many others in Darwin, has just disappeared off the radar. The Weekend Australian is carrying a large display advert for two heads of departments and a medical CO director in obstetrics and gynaecology at Royal Darwin Hospital . The duty statement includes areas in which Professor Davy was active, including Indigenous health in remote communities. She had pointed out that a situation existed at RDH where professionals trained in Australia eager to come to the Territory had been told there were no positions vacant , only to find out somebody had been appointed from overseas. Whether this was due to overseas trained doctors being paid less, she was unable to say.
The Weekend Australian states that applicants for the positions "would be expected " to be an experienced Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology . Is this due to Professor Davy highlighting the RDH situation ?
