-With AAP.
1. More than 80,000 people sign petition for Dr Charlie Teo to operate in public hospitals.
More than 80,000 people have signed an online petition for controversial neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo to be allowed to operate in public hospitals.
Sydney University Professor Henry Woo sparked a debate last month after tweeting about the ethics of crowdfunding campaigns raising money for Dr Teo’s surgeries.
Last week Dr Teo hit back, saying that he wasn’t allowed to operate in public hospitals and so patients had to pay to be operated on in the private system.
A change.org petition is now lobbying for Dr Teo to be allowed to operate in the public system.
“Dr Charlie Teo is a medical genius, yet he is vilified by his peers in Australia,” the petition says.
“At present he has not been invited to operate in any public hospitals in Australia, so those that need his expertise have to pay to go into a private hospital.”
The petition is addressed to Minister for Health Greg Hunt, WA Minister for Health Roger Cook, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and has a goal of 150,000 signatures.
“Many people don’t know a lot about brain tumours until it affects someone they love,” it reads. “But brain cancer kills more children than any other disease, approximately every seven hours an Australian dies of brain cancer. We need to give them every opportunity, which means having the best access to the best medical treatment.”
Dr Teo told the Today show he is willing to operate on interstate patients in public hospitals, but has never been taken up on this offer.
Top Comments
My opinion of Dr Teo is that he is brilliant. He stands out with his skills and dedication to his craft.
The Medical Profession suffers badly from ego and I can quite believe that he is not included in the 'circle'. Only the other day I heard him explaining that if a Doctor invites him to his hospital as a visiting surgeon he will happily oblige. Up until recently none had taken him up on it and then one did. Dr Teo said they operated on a little child and she was, so far, doing very well. That Doctor could rise above any ego and ask for help for his little patient.
It is a sorry situation with some of these specialists. When it suits them the hippocratic oath goes out the window, particularly in medico legal cases. They are not interested in the patient right there in front of them they are only interested in the BIG cheque coming their way from an insurance company. If they were true to their oath they would be listening and supporting a person that is suffering. All they are interested in is their own hip pocket. They think they are God himself, what they say is it, EGO. The hippocratic oath states you won't do harm to a patient that will affect their earning capacity. When these Doctors write these negative reports for no other reason than to appease an insurance company they are doing great harm to the patient.
It is disgraceful lying.
My opinion of Dr Teo is that he is brilliant. He stands out with his skills and dedication to his craft.
The Medical Profession suffers badly from ego and I can quite believe that he is not included in the 'circle'. Only the other day I heard him explaining that if a Doctor invites him to his hospital as a visiting surgeon he will happily oblige. Up until recently none had taken him up on it and then one did. Dr Teo said they operated on a little child and she was, so far, doing very well. That Doctor could rise above any ego and ask for help for his little patient.
It is a sorry situation with some of these specialists. When it suits them the hippocratic oath goes out the window, particularly in medico legal cases. They are not interested in the patient right there in front of them they are only interested in the BIG cheque coming their way from an insurance company. If they were true to their oath they would be listening and supporting a person that is suffering. All they are interested in is their own hip pocket. They think they are God himself, what they say is it, EGO. The hippocratic oath states you won't do harm to a patient that will affect their earning capacity. When these Doctors write these negative reports for no other reason than to appease an insurance company they are doing great harm to the patient.
It is disgraceful lying.