Page 1206 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 April 1994
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body, as we know it does today. As is usually the case, the medical authorities of the day attacked Harvey. Someone, because of this attack and because what you were supposed to believe was obvious, said at the time, "I would rather err with Galen than be right with Harvey". What a truly remarkable statement!
We have an opportunity in Canberra to save lives. It is unfortunate that some people within the medical profession are not prepared to look at the evidence. The AMA was so concerned about its membership, its image and its credibility that it appointed a task force to investigate the association. In a 73-page report in the AMA journal on 6 April 1987 it said on page 33:
... there exists a multitude of national medical bodies each with differing interests, scientific, philosophical, industrial and political. In the result the profession, the public and Government have gained the impression that the medical profession is hopelessly divided, disorganised, difficult to negotiate with and unfortunately, largely self-seeking.
It went on:
... many members emphasised that there was a need to have a body actively and openly concerned with the conduct of ethics of the profession.
It was made clear that many believed that the AMA had abdicated responsibility for these matters at the present time. From 1961 to 1987 AMA membership dropped from 90 per cent to 50 per cent of the profession. It was seen by members as being no longer representative of the profession. The report went on:
It is important to emphasise at this point that ordinary members of the AMA, unless they are appointed as representatives to the Assembly, have neither voting rights for the election of the president and other officers, nor the formal opportunity to ask questions of the executive committee or Federal Council on the activities of their association.
It concluded:
The AMA now appears to allocate higher priority to financial gain than to the practice of medicine.
That was the AMA task force. I call on members and the Government to take action along these lines.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member's time has expired.
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