Oct 29 0 comments

A Look Back

by Mohamed Khadra on 29 October 2010

It is so interesting talking with colleagues who have lived through the various changes to the health system since the 1980s about which I have written in my latest book Terminal Decline.

Some  were actually part of the meeting in May 1984 during which doctors decided to stop work in protest against the changes that were happening to Medicare.  Many, who have read the book have indicated that the sentiments and reasons around those protests have been accurately captured.  It must have been similar to Julius Caesar standing on the banks of the Rubicon in 42 A.D. deciding whether to cross into Rome and march against the Senate.

No doctor had ever withdrawn their services. Their conviction that Australia could not afford free healthcare was overwhelming. Having said that, patients were still treated for their ailments. Operations happened but no surgeons name would be placed on the operation report.  25 years later it is clear, despite several health reforms that their fears were well founded.

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About the Author

View All Posts by Mohamed Khadra

Mohamed Khadra

Mohamed Khadra

Mohamed Khadra is a professor of Surgery at the University of Sydney, Australia. He has had a successful and varied career as a leader in education and medicine, internationally and in Australia. He has a degree in Medicine, a PhD and a fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He also has a postgraduate degree in Computing and a Masters in Education.His roles have included Inaugural Chair of Surgery at the Australian National University, Pro-vice Chancellor for Health, Design and Science at the University of Canberra, Professor of Surgery and Head of the School of Rural Health for the University of New South Wales. He has won several research prizes, including the Noel Newton Prize for surgical research and the Alban Gee Prize in urology.Mohamed is co-founder of the Institute of Technology Australia, an accredited higher-education provider that contributes to social justice by delivering accessible and affordable degrees to students in developing countries. He is the author of MAKING THE CUT: A SURGEON’S STORIES OF LIFE ON THE EDGE; The Patient: ONE MAN’S JOURNEY THROUGH THE AUSTRALIAN HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM; and co-author with David Williamson of the play AT WHAT COST?