Crackdown on dodgy health providers

Victoria’s health complaints watchdog will be given greater powers to name and shame dodgy health service providers and practitioners, and protect the public by banning them from practising.

The Health Complaints Bill 2016 will establish a tough new complaints system to crack down on dangerous unregistered health practitioners.

“We’re taking action to crack down on dangerous health practitioners who take advantage of vulnerable Victorians,” Health Minister Jill Hennessy said.

Under the proposed new laws, the existing Health Services Commissioner will be replaced by a new watchdog, the Health Complaints Commissioner. The State Government says that this will create a more comprehensive health complaints system that better protects the public and providers of health services.

The new Commissioner will have powers to take action against dangerous and unethical health providers who are not registered under national health practitioner regulation law.

The Bill will also allow anyone to make a complaint, rather than just the person who received the health service.

The introduction of the legislation follows cases such as the blogger who faked cancer to profit from her wellness app, the fake gynaecologist performing "fertility treatments" on women for a decade, or the unregistered "dodgy" dentists, and ban them from providing unethical and dangerous treatments.