Gag on dietary advice lifted
A GAG on prominent Tasmanian doctor Gary Fettke has been lifted — allowing the “real food” advocate to offer dietary advice to his patients and worldwide followers.
The Launceston surgeon, a critic of processed and sweetened foods, was cautioned against issuing nutritional advice by the nation’s medical regulator two years ago.
But the Medical Board of Australia confirmed yesterday the ban on Dr Fettke had been “reconsidered” and all regulatory action against him has been dropped.
Dr Fettke said he would now campaign strongly about nutrition — and would push for better policies around food in Tasmania’s public hospitals.
He said the original 2014 complaint against him, which sparked a two-year investigation, followed his questioning of the quality of food available to patients in hospitals.
Dr Fettke said he remained committed to stripping junk food and sweetened drinks out of hospitals. He said every other state except Tasmania had improved patient nutrition in hospitals in the years since he first raised the issue.
“The tragedy for Tasmania’s health and public policy is that every other state in Australia now has a policy to reduce junk food in hospitals,” he said.
“We had a chance to lead the world — and we are now languishing behind the pack.”
He said changes needed to be made to both the food given to patients and the food available at hospital kiosks.
Health Minister Michael Ferguson said the Government was constantly reviewing food guidelines in hospitals.
“Hospital food is constantly reviewed and patient diets are informed through consultation with expert dietitians,” Mr Ferguson said.
A spokeswoman for the Medical Board of Australia yesterday confirmed its earlier caution against Dr Fettke had been dropped.
She said additional evidence was considered and a “new decision” was made.
“The board decided no further regulatory action was needed to protect or manage risk to patients,” she said.
The decision overturns a caution issued in 2016, following an inquiry into Dr Fettke’s medical advice to patients.
He was warned against using any platform to give nutritional advice.
The surgeon is renowned on the low-carbohydrate healthy-fat (LCHF) scene, with followers taking guidance from his principles about the role of nutrition in preventive health. His website has a worldwide following, and his official gagging has received international media attention.
Dr Fettke became an advocate of LCHF diets after seeing so many diabetes patients who were coming to him for surgery and whose underlying problem was diet-related.
Dr Fettke said he knew of other doctors and nutritionist who would be reassured by the medical board’s latest decision, as the earlier charges had placed a cloud over what sort of dietary advice health professionals could offer.