Dr Duncan Syme is a general practitioner and Vice President of The Australian Medical Professionals' Society (AMPS). With over 35 years of experience in the medical field, Dr Syme has dedicated his career to diverse areas such as drug and alcohol treatment, geriatric care, travel medicine, and research.
However, in February 2022, he was suspended under the emergency powers of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Australian medical board. This suspension was a result of an investigation into a complaint made against Dr Syme for writing an exemption/support letter for patients who were hesitant about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
In this conversation, Dr Syme reflects on his experiences over the past three years. We discuss the core principles that guide his medical practice, upcoming amendments to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and international health law, cognitive dissonance arising from Australia's response to COVID-19, challenges related to medical censorship, the need for improvements in healthcare systems and society, and his personal philosophy on life and commitment to self-improvement.
He graduated from Monash University in 1987 and completed his postgraduate qualifications in general practice in both the UK and Australia.
Note
It was the US Food and Drug Administration who attempted to keep Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine data hidden (not Pfizer) and they wanted to keep it hidden for 55 years (not 75 years). Also, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) receives 96% of its budget from industry (not 97%).
Time Stamps
2:30 – How Duncan’s suspension was triggered, vindication, and how many other doctors have been suspended or have been made to be fearful of potential investigation
10:30 – Questioning AHPRA and who oversees their operations, AHPRA venturing into new roles, AMPS' efforts to make its voice heard, how Duncan's continued suspension is justified by regulators
14:40 – TGA receives most of its funding from pharmaceutical companies, the pharmaceutical industry's legal obligations, attempting to keep Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine data hidden, complete trust in pharmaceutical companies during pandemic
22:30 – Guiding principles of being a doctor and medicine
26:23 – Upcoming changes in international health law, implications for global movement and medicine, WHO donors, the role of Bill Gates and his successful re-branding
38:00 - Cognitive dissonance among the public, senior doctors who failed to speak up, private conversations among doctors, and fatigue in discussing COVID-19
46:30 – Being wronged by regulators, challenges facing young doctors, medicine and society at a crossroads, global censorship since COVID-19, finding positives amid difficult situations
Dr Duncan Syme is a general practitioner and Vice President of The Australian Medical Professionals' Society (AMPS). With over 35 years of experience in the medical field, Dr Syme has dedicated his career to diverse areas such as drug and alcohol treatment, geriatric care, travel medicine, and research.
However, in February 2022, he was suspended under the emergency powers of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Australian medical board. This suspension was a result of an investigation into a complaint made against Dr Syme for writing an exemption/support letter for patients who were hesitant about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
In this conversation, Dr Syme reflects on his experiences over the past three years. We discuss the core principles that guide his medical practice, upcoming amendments to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and international health law, cognitive dissonance arising from Australia's response to COVID-19, challenges related to medical censorship, the need for improvements in healthcare systems and society, and his personal philosophy on life and commitment to self-improvement.
He graduated from Monash University in 1987 and completed his postgraduate qualifications in general practice in both the UK and Australia.
Note
It was the US Food and Drug Administration who attempted to keep Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine data hidden (not Pfizer) and they wanted to keep it hidden for 55 years (not 75 years). Also, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) receives 96% of its budget from industry (not 97%).
Time Stamps
2:30 – How Duncan’s suspension was triggered, vindication, and how many other doctors have been suspended or have been made to be fearful of potential investigation
10:30 – Questioning AHPRA and who oversees their operations, AHPRA venturing into new roles, AMPS' efforts to make its voice heard, how Duncan's continued suspension is justified by regulators
14:40 – TGA receives most of its funding from pharmaceutical companies, the pharmaceutical industry's legal obligations, attempting to keep Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine data hidden, complete trust in pharmaceutical companies during pandemic
22:30 – Guiding principles of being a doctor and medicine
26:23 – Upcoming changes in international health law, implications for global movement and medicine, WHO donors, the role of Bill Gates and his successful re-branding
38:00 - Cognitive dissonance among the public, senior doctors who failed to speak up, private conversations among doctors, and fatigue in discussing COVID-19
46:30 – Being wronged by regulators, challenges facing young doctors, medicine and society at a crossroads, global censorship since COVID-19, finding positives amid difficult situations