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Faked cancer lands British man in jail

A British father who faked a terminal cancer to his family and friends to ‘con’ them out of cash, is beginning a 20 month jail sentence today. Simon Swift, 39, from Rugby in Warwickshire, central England started by telling his wife and three teenage children that he only had months to live and sold tickets worth hundreds of pounds for a fake charity auction. He claimed in May that the cancer had started in his spine and had become terminal. He even shaved his hair and claimed marks on his neck were from radiotherapy.

26 Jan 2011

Autism discrimination case at Perth Methodist college

A Perth girl’s school admitted to discriminating against an autistic pupil who was denied a trained aide. This made her lose nine months of schooling. Methodist Ladies College in Perth’s wealthy western suburbs in a first of its kind case in Australia was forced to apologise to parents Andrew and Mandy Mason after they took the school to the Federal Court and secured a settlement in their favour.

22 Dec 2010

Adelaide man guilty of deliberately spreading HIV

An Adelaide man, Stuart McDonald, 43, has been accused of deliberately infecting his sexual partners with HIV. He has been found guilty of two counts of endangering life.

14 Dec 2010

Myriad to acquire technology for diagnosis, prognosis of malignant melanoma

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire proprietary technology for the diagnosis and prognosis of malignant melanoma using highly validated genetic markers from Melanoma Diagnostics, Inc. of Altadena, California. Under the agreement, Myriad has the right to commercialize all tests derived from the technology on a worldwide basis in exchange for upfront fees and contingent payments based upon the commercial success of the products.

8 Dec 2010

Cardiologist provided unnecessary stent implants: investigation

In a new investigation a Senate Finance Committee has found that a former cardiologist, Mark Midei at Towson, Md.-based St. Joseph Medical Center performed 585 medically unnecessary stent implants, costing Medicare and private insurers a combined $6.6 million in fraudulent reimbursement fees. These stents are special medicated or wire tubes that are placed inside coronary arteries of the heart to prevent them from collapsing or clogging up which may lead to a hear attack.

6 Dec 2010

Hepatitis C outbreak investigation continues

A hepatitis C outbreak investigation has led detectives to a nursing director of the clinic at the centre of their inquiry. The woman in question is Carol Richards, 68, from Croydon Hills who will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

25 Nov 2010

Lawsuits scaring Australian doctors away: Study

The latest study shows that Australian doctors are now so afraid of being sued by patients that one third are considering giving up medicine. The study looked at nearly 3,000 specialists, general practitioners and trainees. Alarmingly 32% are considering reducing their work hours and 40 per cent are considering early retirement.

14 Nov 2010

Dead litigant’s family bullied by tobacco company

In 2002 Jamie McCabe’s mother Rolah won a landmark legal battle against British American Tobacco and alleges that the family is still being harassed by the tobacco giant. Ms McCabe became the first Australian to successfully sue a tobacco company. She won $700,000 in compensation after Justice Geoffrey Eames, in the Victorian Supreme Court, found the tobacco company had destroyed potentially relevant documents about the damaging effects of smoking.

11 Nov 2010

Stafford Hospital inquiry looks into “human rights” violations in care

A public inquiry into conditions and care at Stafford hospital in Stafford, England heard that the hospital was violating basic human rights of the patients. The counsel for Cure the NHS, a campaign group set up by relatives of some of the people who died at the hospital after receiving inadequate treatment established the fact that the standard of care constituted inhuman and degrading treatment at the facility.

10 Nov 2010

Dr Sartori’s contentious alternative therapy: inquest date set

The Medical Practitioner's Board of Western Australia is looking into the case of a doctor and her role in an alternative cancer therapy program. Five cancer patients have died after apparently being given industrial solvents and dangerous minerals as a part of an alternative therapy program by Alexandra Boyd, a well-known Mosman Park breast cancer specialist. She along with two registered nurses administered the concoctions to the people in question.

1 Nov 2010

NHS trust is compensating the bereaved and victims for poor patient care

Britain’s NHS is paying out hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation to bereaved relatives and victims after failing in patient care. An independent inquiry found earlier this year that the Stafford hospital routinely neglected patients and displayed systemic failings.

31 Oct 2010

Health department officer admits taking bribes

The Western Australia Corruption and Crime Commission is now inquiring into the case of a senior public servant who admitted to using his position in the Health Department to personally gain around a million dollars in money and gifts between 2004 and 2009.

28 Oct 2010

Glaxo to pay $750 million in defective drug settlement

GlaxoSmithKline Plc, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, has agreed to pay $750 million to settle a U.S. government false-claims lawsuit over the sale of defective drugs. The lawsuit first filed in 2004 by Cheryl D. Eckard, a former global quality assurance manager for the London-based company came to a settlement finally. Eckard, 51, said, “This is not something I wanted to do, but because of patient safety it was necessary.” Being the one to bring this to notice she would receive $96 million from the settlement money. She had warned the company earlier but was fired because of her efforts.

26 Oct 2010

Hepatitis C from anesthetist case assumes new proportions

According to Victoria’s chief health officer yesterday, another 1,100 people would be screened for hepatitis C that could have come from contact with an infected doctor at more than one clinic.

24 Oct 2010

Vaccine lawsuits – Justices divided

The US Supreme Court is seemingly divided over the lawsuits on childhood vaccines. The Justices acquiesced that the Congress has done its bit to shield vaccine-makers from suits by the few who have had an adverse reaction to a vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Now the matter revolves around whether those hurt by vaccines have the right to sue manufacturers if they can prove that a safer version was available.

12 Oct 2010

Jayant Patel appeal delayed on account of funds shortage

The former surgeon Jayant Patel, at the centre of a 2005 scandal in which he was accused of gross incompetence while working at Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland, Australia faces a delay in his appeal against his criminal convictions.

21 Sep 2010

Twin deaths trigger calls for an inquiry into Northam Hospital, WA

After the recent deaths of two children at Western Australia's rural Northam Hospital, there are calls for an inquiry.

20 Sep 2010

Shared needle at school science experiment puts students at risk

In a science experiment at a Tasmanian Dover District high school, a teacher took blood samples from grade 9 and 10 students using the same needle. They were testing blood pH levels. Now students are being tested for HIV infection. The needle was dipped in methylated spirits each time before pricking but authorities say this is not enough to prevent transmission of HIV and other viruses like Hepatitis B and C.

8 Sep 2010

Overflowing petitions to save local GP from deregistration

General Practitioner Dr Rajendra Moodley has helped hundreds of people in his care during his tenure. After being deregistered by the Medical Board of Australia last Friday, his patients are rising to appeal the deregistration decision.

1 Sep 2010

NSW bed sore death could have been prevented: Coroner

After the death of a severely disabled woman in New South Wales, the coroner has ruled that the death due to bed sores was avoidable and caregivers need more training to manage such cases. 26-year-old Kate Therese Bugmy died at Broken Hill Base Hospital in June 2007 as a result of sepsis from bed sores. She had severe cerebral palsy, epilepsy and an intellectual disability and weighed just 36 kilos when she died.

26 Aug 2010