“It is incorrect to state that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) overrides the opinions of specialists. This misconception has previously been addressed in SQ22-000569 (published 16 December 2022).
The TGA currently employs 91 staff as Medical Officers. This includes staff with a range of specialist qualifications, including General Practice and non-General Practice specialists. Information has previously been provided regarding Medical Officer qualifications in SQ23-000098 (published 30 March 2023).”
This is the answer I got back from the question as to how many doctors and what are their qualification who work for the TGA.
The answer of course is deliberately vague as Medical Officer could include a Health Bureaucrat who has never worked as a doctor. They may have spent their career working as an academic or bureaucrat with no real world clinical experience.
I speak with an ex-TGA employee regularly who says their doctors aren’t qualified to override specialists.
The TGA are now claiming as well they don’t override specialist reports.
That is news to me and I’m sure many of you. My office hears from people almost everyday who have had their vaccine injury claim knocked back despite getting specialist reports.
The gaslighting never ends does it.
Community Affairs Legislation Committee
15/02/2024
Estimates
HEALTH AND AGED CARE PORTFOLIO
Office of the Gene Technology Regulator
Senator RENNICK: I have one more question, please, Chair. What are the qualifications of the doctors in the TGA that override the rulings or the decisions made by specialists? I’ve got people who’ve got vaccine injuries that go through, fill out a form and get specialists to say that their injury was caused by the vaccine. Services Australia then gives it to the TGA doctors. I’ve been told by an ex-employee of the TGA that your doctors aren’t qualified to override specialists. Are they—the TGA doctors that are overriding these specialists—specialists? If they are overriding specialists, why are people who’ve been injured being told to see a specialist? Some of these people are having enormous difficulty getting in to see a specialist. Why are the specialists being overridden?
Prof. Lawler: In general terms, the qualifications of medical officers at the TGA include those who are medically qualified, be it through a bachelor of medicine or a bachelor of surgery. There are also those with general practice and some with specialist qualifications.
Senator RENNICK: What are those specialist qualifications?
Prof. Lawler: It depends on the doctor.
Senator RENNICK: How many doctors are there, if you don’t mind my asking?
Prof. Lawler: I don’t mind your asking at all. I will get that number to you. We have the lion’s share—a significant proportion of the doctors working in the department work with us at the TGA.
Senator RENNICK: If I could get the number of doctors, which ones are specialists and what their specialties are, I would appreciate it. Thanks, Chair.
