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Natural justice will help doctors and patients |
The need to stop medical malpractice should be balanced by fair treatment for doctors under scrutiny, according to the Australian Medical Association (NSW).
“Where judges or lawyers are running disciplinary proceedings, doctors should be entitled to legal representation,” said AMA (NSW) President Dr Andrew Keegan.
“AMA (NSW) has already expressed support for mandatory reporting of serious misconduct, but whistleblowers must be protected”
“The package of proposals released by the Government will give increased powers to the Medical Board, but the system will operate better with checks and balances.
“One such check is to ensure thorough background searches of applicants by employers. This is already required under public sector employment processes, and the information is available.
“The amendments to the Medical Practice Act will ensure that NSW has the most rigorous and transparent disciplinary process of any jurisdiction in Australia.
The Government must ensure that if complaints are examined in public proceedings those accused have normal legal rights. “In addition, the Government should let doctors and the community know if NSW law will be taken up in the new national registration system, a detailed model for which has not yet been published,” Dr Keegan said.
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