Current Correspondence

Dear Madam/sir, on what statistical source does your department base your claim that your health system is “safe”?

Regarding claims at https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/health-care-quality-performance/health-care-safety-and-quality “A safe and high-quality health system provides the most appropriate and best-value care, while keeping patients safe from preventable harm“.

Regarding the claim of a “safe” health system. In July 2005, Australia’s Office of the Safety and Quality Council confirmed that: “There is currently no one body that correlates all information on rates of death due to treatment and in fact, there is no single source of statistics that provides an appropriate measure for safety and quality in Australia.”

Australia’s author John Archer used medicine’s own literature to guesstimate Australia’s annual iatrogenic death toll to be 50,000. See Archer, John. Bad Medicine: How Safe Is Modern Medicine. Simon and Schuster Australia, East Roseville, NSW. 1995. P184

“Death by Medicine By Gary Null, PhD; Carolyn Dean MD, ND”  Over a decade ago US researchers, including three MDs and a PhD, used all available medical data to portray America’s full picture of their iatrogenic epidemic. Their report stated “The most stunning statistic, however, is that the total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is an astounding 783,936 per year. It is now evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the US.” 

The July 17th 1999 edition of the British Medical Journal included “Studies in Australia, Israel, the United Kingdom and elsewhere suggest levels of error and hazard in patient care that are no lower than in America.”

Omitting to collect and publish the truth about Australia’s true total iatrogenic death toll exemplifies Australia’s government lying by omission e.g. publishing that public health is “safe”. See   https://dynamicchiropractic.com/article/51112-safe-medicine-dangerous-chiropractic

When Chiropractic is “most appropriate”. Australia’s 1977 Webb Report states that: “the majority of chiropractic patients have attended a medical practitioner for the same specific symptoms they presented to the chiropractor. …. The majority of patients in those studies had discarded conventional medical therapy because of failure to obtain relief –[i] Assuming Webb’s findings apply generally, millions of failed medical patients may have subsequently consulted a chiropractor. The Report went on to say; “From these data the conclusion must be drawn that chiropractic is emerging as an established occupation with a large and growing clientele, the majority of whom report high levels of satisfaction with the treatment they received.”[ii]

The 1977-8 Australian Health Survey looked at why people are attracted away from conventional medicine to alternative practitioners. It stated, “The main reasons for changing were dissatisfaction with conventional medicine and concern about drugs and their associated side effects.”

Regarding your claim: “A safe and high-quality health system provides the most appropriate and best-value care while keeping patients safe from preventable harm.”

It is over a century since chiropractic became available in Australia. Millions of patients would have shared 1) wasting money on inappropriate failed medical treatment and 2) later, seeing the value of successful chiropractic care. For those patients, public health did not provide the best-value care.

Please remove these deceptions from your web page.

Sincerely, Michael McKibbin DC

CC: Oz chiropractor’s email network, my patients, media, politicians etc.

[i]Report of the committee of enquiry into chiropractic, etc. April 1977. Aust. Govt Publishing Services Canberra 1977 P49

[ii]ibid p499-500

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I received a reply to that email.

OFFICIAL

Thank you for your recent feedback. We will take it into consideration and will take any action we deem necessary.

Regards,

Hospitals Reporting

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

I replied:

Thanks for your email. Please inform me what changes, if any, you will make so that I can pass that information on to my mailing list.

Sincerely, Michael McKibbin DC