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Women's Health Law News

01.02.08

VIC: Mother dies giving birth- coroner rules her death was preventable

Piyanat Siriwan began hemorrhaging uncontrollably after labour at the South Eastern Private Hospital, but her transfer to another hospital for life-saving surgery was delayed. The coroner found obstetrician and gynaecologist Maurice Lichter and anaesthetist Emlyn Williams contributed to Ms Siriwan's death.

She recommended the Medical Practitioners Board take whatever action it deemed appropriate against the doctors.

Source: news.com.au 26.01.08

20.12.07

NSW: Royal North Shore Hospital Parliamentary Inquiry Report

The parliamentary inquiry into Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital has handed down 45 recommendations, after it was sparked by the miscarriage in September. Opposition's health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner says the recommendations made by the committee are "wishy washy" and will not lead to real solutions. State Health Minister Reba Meagher has dismissed the concerns. Source: ABC News 20.12.07; SMH 20.12.07

A REPORT released yesterday reveals more than 500 mistakes at the Royal North Shore Hospital have lead to either serious injury or death to patients. Source: news.com.au 20.12.07.

26.07.07

NSW: Royal North Shore Hospital - Birth in toilet in hospital without care

A WOMAN'S miscarriage in a Sydney hospital toilet after waiting for two hours for emergency treatment led to a wave of complaints from the public yesterday insisting it was not an isolated case. Source: SMH 27.09.07. The Age 26.09.07.

22.09.06

Dying victim wins

A dying Gold Coast woman who was the alleged victim of a botched mammogram has won a secret out-of-court settlement from the State Government.

Philippa Naismith, 52, was one of two Gold Coast women who sued BreastScreen Queensland after mammograms allegedly failed to detect their aggressive cancers.

Mrs Naismith is facing "a horrible death sentence" since the cancer spread to her bones.

Another victim, Sandra Harley, 48, has had her left breast removed.

Mrs Naismith said no amount of money could compensate for her plight but she was "pleased that Queensland Health has acted promptly to resolve my compensation claim".

Source: (Courier-Mail, 22 September 2006)

30.08.06

Abortion doctor to stop practising

Sydney doctor Suman Sood, who has been convicted of performing an illegal abortion, is withdrawing her name from the NSW Register of Medical Practitioners.

The withdrawal, effective from tomorrow, means Sood will not be able to practise as a doctor in NSW.

(SMH/AAP, 30 August 2006)

26.08.06

Now abortion doctor faces push to suspend her
As the convicted abortion doctor Suman Sood continued practising in her Wentworthville surgery yesterday, the Medical Board launched attempts to suspend her ahead of disciplinary hearings next month. (SMH, 26 August 2006)

25.08.06

Fix our abortion laws
Premier Morris Iemma was yesterday branded spineless after vowing to leave state abortion laws unchanged despite the conviction of Sydney doctor Suman Sood. (Daily Telegraph, 25 August 2006)

24.08.06

Doctor guilty of illegal abortion
A Sydney doctor faces up to 10 years in jail after being convicted yesterday over an illegal abortion, the first such case in NSW in more than 25 years.

But Suman Sood, 56, was acquitted in the NSW Supreme Court of a more serious charge of the manslaughter of a four-month-old fetus.

The jury found Sood guilty of two counts of unlawfully administering the abortion preparation drug Prostaglandin to a 20-year-old woman. (Australian, 24 August 2006)

Verdict creates abortion doubts
Abortion doctor Suman Sood is expected to be deregistered and jailed after a jury yesterday found her guilty of the first illegal abortion in NSW for 25 years. (Daily Telegraph, 24 August 2006)

No stranger to scandal
Suman Sood yesterday became the first Australian doctor convicted in 25 years of an illegal abortion - but she is no stranger to NSW authorities. (Daily Telegraph, 24 August 2006)

Doctor guilty of illegal abortion
In the first abortion trial in NSW in over 20 years, abortion doctor Suman Sood was today found guilty of performing an illegal abortion, but cleared her of the manslaughter of a premature baby in May 2002. (SMH, 23 August 2006)

Revealed: the dark past of a guilty abortion doctor
In the first abortion case in NSW in 25 years, a jury yesterday convicted doctor Suman Sood of giving drugs to a woman illegally to procure a miscarriage. (SMH, 24 August 2006)

Minister outraged at GPs' refusal to treat domestic violence victims

Western Australia's Health Minister Jim McGinty says it is unconscionable that some Perth doctors are refusing to treat victims of domestic violence.

The practice was revealed in state Parliament today by Labor backbencher Ben Wyatt, who said he had visited two clinics that had signs displayed stating that assault victims would not be seen.

Mr Wyatt says he believes the practice to be more widespread and says he will be raising his concerns with the Medical Board. (ABC News, 24 August 2006)

16.08.06

Fears over hand-made hormones

THOUSANDS of menopausal women are being prescribed dangerous hormone therapies that have not been approved for use and may contain banned substances.

Women are being urged to avoid so-called natural hormone replacement therapy (NHRT), also known as bio-identical hormones, because of safety fears.

Two cases of uterine cancer in women taking NHRT have been referred to the Therapeutic Goods Administration in the past year by Dr John Eden, director of the Sydney Menopause Centre.

Dr Eden said the "hand-made hormones" were prepared by pharmacists known as "compounding chemists" without scrutiny.

Although the process is legal, it is beyond the regulatory control of the TGA and state-based pharmacy boards.

"There's a whole stack of women being treated out there with hand-made hormones. It's untested hormone replacement therapy," he said.

(SMH, 16 August 2006)

10.07.06

TWO Gold Coast women are sueing BreastScreen Queensland for allegedly failing to diagnose their aggressive cancers.

Phillipa Naismith, 52, is dying of cancer while Sandra Harley, 48, has had her left breast removed because of the disease.

Both were diagnosed within months of having mammograms at the state-run BreastScreen service, which gave them clean bills of health.

The women are alleging that the service should have picked up the cancers from the mammogram results.

If medical negligence was proven, the women have a case for compensation including damages for pain and suffering, loss of expectation of life, loss of earning capacity and medical expenses.

The womens' solicitor has said that women should still have faith in the system and should still attend for breast screens. But if they've got any doubts about the screening or if they do subsequently find a lump that they should then go back for further review.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1683172.htm

08.06.06

Death of baby- Blacktown Hospital

Asmat Haider, 32, alleges she was given a massive overdose of iron that caused the death of her son when she was nine months pregnant.

The Health Care Complaints Commission confirmed yesterday that they were investigating.

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,19396424-5001022,00.html

06.06.06

Healthy breast removed in error

The patient was admitted to Campbelltown Hospital for a total mastectomy of the left breast, which contained a 2cm malignant tumour. Her healthy right breast was instead removed as a result of the error on a consent form.

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,19372720-5001021,00.html

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