Kenneth Glad
The allegations have intensified scrutiny of how specialist surgeries are approved and monitored. Regulators and hospital administrators are facing growing pressure to explain what they knew and when they knew it.
A television investigation aired this week has thrust a Melbourne gynaecologist and the health oversight system in the state of Victoria into the spotlight.
Now, police are reviewing the case.
ABC’s Four Corners program, broadcast on Monday, detailed allegations against Dr Simon Gordon, a specialist in laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis. Several former patients, many of them women in their 20s and 30s, said they were told they had “severe” disease and required urgent operations.
Conflicting findings
Medical files reviewed during the investigation showed a different picture. In multiple cases, pathology reports on tissue removed during surgery recorded no endometriosis, or only minor traces. Despite that, some patients had ovaries removed. One woman underwent a hysterectomy.
Endometriosis is commonly diagnosed through symptoms and imaging, with ultrasound often used as an initial step. Surgery can confirm the condition and remove lesions, but procedures such as hysterectomy or ovary removal are irreversible and can result in infertility, early menopause and other long-term health effects.
Specialists who examined documents aired by the broadcaster questioned whether the surgical decisions were consistent with accepted standards of care. The divergence between operative notes and laboratory findings is now central to multiple inquiries.
Dr Gordon was asked to take leave from Epworth Private Hospital after it became aware of the ABC investigation and retired from medical practice shortly afterwards. In a statement to Four Corners, he said he “never performed surgery to treat endometriosis, or any other condition, unless I was absolutely convinced it was in the patient’s best interests and to improve their overall quality of life”.
System under strain
The allegations have also exposed possible weaknesses in how complaints are escalated. Documents examined by the broadcaster indicate that concerns about surgical decisions had reached hospital administrators and regulators before the program went to air.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Australia’s national health practitioner regulator, is continuing its investigation and has requested extensive patient records. The episode has prompted questions about how quickly patterns of complaints are identified and whether employers are promptly informed when a practitioner is under regulatory scrutiny.
Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed the matter has been referred to Victoria Police. She said “victims” deserved justice and that “Victoria demands answers”. She added, “Without commenting on the specific case, let me be clear: Performing unnecessary surgery is a crime, removing a woman’s organs without a clinical need is a crime, and assisting in that conduct is a crime.”
The debate touches a sensitive area of women’s health. Many patients with endometriosis report long delays before receiving a diagnosis. At the same time, specialists caution that aggressive surgical treatment carries lasting risks. Oversight systems are intended to prevent both neglect and overtreatment.
Political pressure
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler described the allegations as “sickening” and called for scrutiny of clinical governance at the private hospital.
The Victorian government has not announced a separate state inquiry, but Safer Care Victoria will sit on a review panel established by Epworth.
State Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas criticised AHPRA’s handling of the matter, reports ABC, saying, “What is clear to me is through this investigation is that AHPRA has been too slow to act and that they have not taken the complaints of women seriously.”
Lawyers representing former patients say they are gathering medical records as investigations continue. The outcome is likely to shape how specialist surgery is monitored in Victoria’s private health sector.
Sources: ABC News (Four Corners)
