The birds!
Longstanding Esperance GP and Liberal MLA Dr Graham Jacobs finds himself in a challenging situation, with birds dropping out of Esperance skies, presumably from contamination from lead carbonate shipped out of Esperance harbour. The contamination appears airborne, and with a ‘no safe threshold limit’ for lead in humans, fall out for his patient (now constituent) population seems inevitable. His choices might be to quietly get on with doctoring in the town or scaremongering and Labor-bashing for political advantage in his marginal seat.
Silver lining on the Gray cloud?
The pragmatic peace pipe is out at Sirtex Medical. The company announced it had been granted leave to amend its cost claim against Professor Bruce Gray, and said it had received a written undertaking from Prof Gray to refrain from directly or indirectly carrying on any business similar to, or competitive against, Sirtex’s. Given the boardroom events of last year, this is a huge change. Meanwhile, Sirtex’s net profit dropped to $1.6m (compared to $2.7m last period) although sales increased worldwide. The reason for the drop? Legal fees.
C3: all cashed up with nothing to sell
As we predicted in the February edition, investors are now running a mile from C3 after it downgraded its earnings forecast and said approval for its products in the US market was some way off. Sydney biotech investor, Biotech Capital, sold its entire 18% stake in the company before this announcement, which no doubt added weight to the sell-off. The company announced it has commissioned an external review of its short and medium term options (deadline March 28). There is now speculation the company may sell its technologies. C3’s share price ran to over 50c but is now back in single digits, even though it is cashed up ($16m) from a recent placement and share purchase plan.
Not in our street
Psychiatry is not popular down Cottesloe way. Psychiatrist Dr Julia Charkey-Papp had her application to rezone her property on Stirling Highway from residential to medical use refused by Cottesloe Council. It seems there were objections from neighbours around patients of a psychiatrist in their neighbourhood. Dr Charkey-Papp told the Cambridge Post that most of her patients lived and worked in the local area and (to everyone’s relief) they were not deeply disturbed or violent.
Burke McCarthyism
Neale Fong got dragged in to the Burke/Rudd dinner affair, showing that perhaps McCarthyism is alive and well. The now famous (or infamous) dinner was apparently attended by a number of people. Dr Fong has told the press that he attended as a private citizen and not in any official capacity. At the time, there was a ban on ministerial contact with Mr Burke but this did not apply to senior bureaucrats like Fong. The matter does raise the question of whether there is any crime in having dinner with a person, even if that person is one of the ‘fallen’. Presumably Mr Burke has contact with the medical profession, some of whom undoubtedly would have treated him. Are they too, to be dragged in for having had contact with Mr Burke?
Locum expansion
WADEMS has announced it has recruited more doctors and now has increased manpower during the day and night. It also announced an extension of its boundaries to Mindarie in the North and Hammond Park in the South. Given the longstanding of shortages in locum cover, this is welcome news.
Booze and babies
Medicos are being encouraged to talk openly to women about the dangers of alcohol in pregnancy. The folks at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research have found that 45% of WA health professionals who cared for pregnant women routinely asked them about their alcohol use and 25% of them routinely provided them with information on the consequences of alcohol use in pregnancy. They also found that 98% of WA women surveyed thought that sending information to doctors and health professionals would be useful. After putting 2 + 2 together, the Institute will be sending WA medicos an info pack this month, which includes a booklet, fact sheet, and wallet cards.