Australian doctors are pushing back against a growing pattern of censorship of pro-Palestinian voices in the country’s healthcare system, after hospitals repeatedly cancelled events featuring medical professionals who have worked in Gaza or spoken about the devastation of its healthcare system amid Israel’s genocidal war.
There are now calls for an investigation into restrictions on discussions of Palestine in Australian hospitals, with medical professionals warning that the pattern is preventing doctors from sharing first-hand experiences of treating Palestinian children and working inside Gaza’s devastated hospitals.
Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) cancelled a ‘Children and War’ event just days before it was due to take place on 17 September, after senior management raised concerns about a perceived “pro-Palestinian bias” and discussed preventing Jewish staff from being “upset” by the session, Dr Sue Wareham told The New Arab.
The event was due to feature doctors with experience in Gaza, Afghanistan and Congo discussing the impact of armed conflict on children, but Wareham said Palestine became a central concern behind the hospital’s decision to pull the session.
This narrative control is obnoxious.
Surely if the Jewish staff were going to be so upset couldn’t they just absent themselves and allow the other staff to participate?
Not surprised that senior management at PCH are pro-Zionist assholes. They have thrown their staff under the bus too many times to count, putting children at risk. Not surprised they don’t care about the plight of children in other countries. Fuckers.
Weird that Perth Children’s Hospital would support a regime that has murdered a child and injured two other children every hour for the last 3 years. Seems like maybe they should grow a vagina and actually stand by their mission.
It won’t be a popular comment, but this doesn’t strike me a reliable news source tbh
I’d imagine most hospitals feel that need to appear non biased when it comes to patient care as they have ethical obligations regarding treating patients
Why, because it’s from a publication called The New Arab?
We have been hearing problems in the medical profession over the obstruction of doctors’ freedom of speech, and the upholding of ethics for many months now. For example, https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/22/australian-doctorssubjected-to-vexatious-complaints-over-social-media-posts-on-gaza-peak-body-says
OR
https://michaelwest.com.au/dr-mo-gaza-doctor-in-australia-on-consequences-of-ahpra-decision/ and so much more if you look it up online.
What the above article reports is not surprising at all, just bloody shameful.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Arab
Even Wikipedia says it was basically set up as a news source designed to be biased.
The articles actually support my claim that hospitals are trying to remain non political and welcome everyone without bias. Doctors can do what they want in their free time and weekend but it shouldn’t involve the hospital.
People shouldn’t feel like they can’t get treatment based on nationality and there may be PTSD patients getting treated who don’t want to be reminded.
Imagine going to hospital and Catholic doctors having anti abortion talks? Or even protesting against/for a political party? That’s the problem… Let’s not encourage that
They’re not taking a political stance and they’re not being silenced. Hospitals (and schools) just aren’t the place for it at all. And that’s the actual issue here…
All mainstream media and some independent media are ‘designed to be biased’. Wikipedia itself can be biased.
Putting that aside, if hospitals were “trying to remain non political and welcome everyone without bias”, then they would welcome talks from doctors who have practised in Gaza, as they welcome health professionals who have practised in Ukraine, for example.
Patients don’t go to these talks or presentations, only staff do. and, these talks are not obligatory.
Catholic-run hospitals don’t usually perform abortions. Catholic doctors working in public hospitals I imagine, don’t know for sure, would have to perform abortions in public hospitals. As for going to pro or anti abortion talks they have a choice, as above.
Health and access to health services are very much a political issue anywhere in the world and all health professionals need to be informed about what is happening in their field e.g. how doctors may treat particular injuries in a war zone when they don’t have all the right equipment. This is happening in Gaza, which has the highest percentage of child amputees in any place in the world.
I would suggest that Perth Children’s Hospital is being silenced, one way or another, and it is not the only hospital. Here’s a short ABC interview with Professor Fiona Stanley, epidemiologist and distinguished professorial fellow in the School of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of WA who was pretty upset that a similar talk to the Perth one was cancelled last year at the hospital which carries her name in Fremantle: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/latenightlive/fiona-stanley-hospital-cancellations/105913800
You’re trying desperately to turn this isn’t a “omg, they being controlled thing”. Not everything is a conspiracy mate…
The article literally said the same reason as I gave, which is a valid reason.
We both know a “Children and War” event can’t be run without a lot of bias and politics…
And, good journalists aren’t biased. Sky news isn’t good journalism. “The Arab” explicitly is proud that they’re biased… That’s not a good thing…
Wow, I don’t know how I can ‘bully’ them as I have nothing to do with the hospital. The horse has bolted.
You can believe whatever you like but do you think professional people can’t judge for themselves if an event is run with bias and politics and make up their own minds? If you think they must be protected from politics by hospital administration then we have very little respect for their ability. Talks to hospital staff on diverse topics related to health happen regularly. The fact that Gaza-related talks are stopped is a very political move.
Ok… I agree, It is political…
So, makes sense it should be stopped to avoid politics and remain neutral… Which is my point lol
Geez, auzy1, if stopping the event is political how can it be avoiding politics? It is not a neutral act.
