Third complaint to Australian Medical Board against Philip Nitschke.

By Paul Russell, the founder and director of HOPE Australia originally published this story on his blog on March 20. 

Paul Russell

The West Australian is reporting today that a WA doctor has made a complaint to the Australian Medical Health Practitioners Agency (AHPRA) saying that Nitschke is a 'risk to our patients'.

The article says that, 'Mark Schutze, a private pain specialist who also works in SCGH's department of pain management, wrote to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency after Dr Nitschke gave a talk at the hospital last month.'

The article went on: 

Dr Schutze, who made the complaint as a private practitioner, said he did not support euthanasia but attended to hear Dr Nitschke's argument.

He said he was "truly shocked by his cavalier approach to what I could describe as nothing else other than promoting suicide".

Dr Schutze said Dr Nitschke had a right to his views but should not be legitimised with a medical licence nor allowed to tarnish the profession.

"I'm very concerned that his views are a significant departure from professional standards and do constitute a risk to public harm," he said.

Dr Nitschke said he was shocked to learn of the complaint and would ask SCGH to respond to the regulator.

As the article confirmed, this is the third complaint to the regulator against Nitschke, the other two (including one by yours truly) are ongoing from 2012.