Good sense and judgment are usually shown by both parties.
But a doctor can hardly complain if he and other colleagues of his are booked by the policeman who once waved a doctor on his way, only to see him turn his car into the golf course and not into the hospital.
Patients often ask the doctor for a certificate stating they are ill so they can use up their sick pay from work.
To agree to do this when the patient is not, in fact, ill is a criminal offence, and the doctor is guilty of fraud, and such a charge is sufficient for the medical board to consider his deregistration.
And yet patients still ask their doctor to carry out this service and appear upset if he refuses.
Some patients go directly to a specialist without a referral, then come back to their own doctor later and request a referral dated prior to the appointment.
For in this way the patient gains a greater rebate from Medicare or his private fund.
The practice is illegal. It is perpetrating fraud. The patient may ask, but the doctor should always refuse. The patient should clearly understand the reasons why.
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