Protect “Good Medical Practice” in Australia: safeguard the Medical Board Code of Conduct.

I have great difficulty with this proposed legislation as a minister of religion on the basis that the personal moral and ethical view of any doctor is restricted by any group. When I go or anyone goes to a doctor, that person is expecting an honest evaluation and consultation by the doctor. We may not agree with what that doctor has to say, but we grow more suspicious of any evaluation that finds itself filtered and controlled by a faceless entity. Most of us rely on the integrity of each doctor’s stand on especially in the area of medical ethics. This new legislation removes the right of any doctor to express that view unless he agrees with what the AHPRA expresses. We no longer are encouraged to believe that doctor who may be only expressing what AHPRA currently hold even if he himself holds that view, we will never know because they are not allowed to ever express anything contrary. I cannot even believe that this is the normal or general view of anyone except those who decide the current view of AHPRA and impose it on all doctors. If they are the deciding force, who may monitor them to ensure that the true welfare of patience and not that of other financial vested interests. Of paramount importance is that ‘hive-mindedness’ has not got medicine to where it is, it is the willingness to step out of the box and think outside of the square and express that new thought that has brought about such things as a cure for asthma practiced by some doctors in our society. Were they to be silenced, many asthmatics today would not have been cured or, for chronic late-treatment patients, become occasional asthmatics.

Doctors along with everyone else should have freedom of speech. All Australian citizens are facing horrific assault on our democratic freedoms. As these para institutions chip away at these freedoms without challenge, one day we will wake up to complete and irreversible control.

Doctor's need to be free to adhere to their ethical, moral and religious values.

Dr’s like every other person should have the right to their own beliefs and freedom to express them.

Doctors need to be able to talk openly and honestly. Not to be gagged and only allowed to say what a controlling board allows them to.

The Hippocratic Oath must be upheld. No changes should be made.

Please allow all Australian medical doctors to have the right of freedom of speech

APHRA has no business interfering with doctor's rights to freedom of conscience and speech. Leave the existing codes as they are - changing them will put patients and the vulnerable at risk and violates their rights to good health care and their choices. The Hippocratic Oath must be upheld.

Objectivity seems to have no part in APHRA's draft to change its Code of Conduct. As a member of the public I do not want health professionals to be nobbled by the agendas of either tiny minority groups or huge pharmaceutical companies.

Please do not change the existing code.

This proposed change is unjustified, dictated by the body that has no interest in protecting what is right but rather something that supports their hidden agenda Do not interfere with and restrict freedom of conscience and force doctors to do what is immoral

This proposal is completely unjustified, and represents an unreasonable attempt by an unelected body to meddle, interfere with and restrict the freedom of conscience and of will that is customarily enjoyed by Australian citizens.

Follow the Hippocratic Oath with integrity. Why change from a tried-&-true stance since time immemorial, to one which is immoral? First, do no harm.

We know that around 50% of practise in Australia is not based on science. Thus there is plenty to criticise and dissent is healthy... otherwise no change will occur. If the Medical Board is going to be the adjudicator of what is relevant we'll never see any significant change... as they're just as blind to problems in medicine as everyone else.

Doctors and other health professionals have the right to differing opinions and the freedom to express them in any forum. No governing body has any right to dictate their opinions on others!

Do not harm must first and foremost drive from medical profession

We MUST stick to no abortion for any reason. Otherwise it is murder !

Doctors like everyone else should be free to espouse and voice their faith principles and not be dictated to by an organisation who have the power to threaten their good practice of medicine. Organisations should not promote social agendas promoted by minority groups especially when it conflicts with professional and scientific facts.

Safeguard the Medical Board Code Of Conduct. Integrity and honesty and conscience should allow Medical Practitioners to be able to thoroughly inform patients and should never have to act against their scientific knowledge and conscience to quiess to a family’s or patients demands. A sad day when they can be told to harm against their conscience. Keep the Code don’t change it.

Give all doctors a fair go .. so we have quality service