News & Updates

Health, Medicine, Community

Whether you are looking for tips on how to stay healthy, or want to learn about the latest industry trends, the Seurology news center is always accessible and regularly updated to include the most relevant information.

COVID Update

March 2, 2022

2022 has not exactly been the return to normal that we were all hoping for. It looks as though we will not be returning to the nightmarish lockdowns of the last 2 years but we all have to look after each other in ways we did not think about previously. Vaccines significantly protect against nasty infections and we would encourage everyone to be fully vaccinated. Masks must be worn when in clinics and hospitals. If you feel unwell please do not venture out. Please let the staff know and clinic appointments can either be rescheduled or changed to a phone consult. The current advice is to take a Rapid Antigen Test if you have any symptoms or have possible exposure. If positive please isolate for the recommended time (which changes from time to time). If you have had COVID it is generally felt to be unwise to have an anaesthetic within 2 months.
You must also consider the clinic/hospital staff and be aware that if they become unwell it may mean short notice cancellation of clinics and operating lists. This will be the new normal.

Phone consults

April 2023

One big health change caused by the COVID pandemic is the shift to telephone consulting. The Federal government has modified the Medicare schedules for phone clinics for 2023. These are now only available for review appointments but can still be useful for relatively simple matters. Philip bulk bills all phone consults which may also be an advantage for some patients. One of the major downsides of phone clinics is getting investigation requests, prescriptions and booking forms out to patients. This may be via snail mail or email and may cause some delays in treatment. Please bear this in mind before electing for a phone consult.

Tonga Tsunami and Earthquake

April 2023 Update

The Kingdom of Tonga was severely impacted after the eruption of a nearby semi-submerged volcano on 15 January 2022. The massive explosion, quite possibly the largest volcanic eruption of the 21st Century, caused a tsunami, which washed over the Kingdom's many islands, and released a massive ash cloud which coated everything on the islands with a thick grey sludge. This severely affected the Kingdom's ability to provided safe food and water, and impacted energy production and transport. Fortunately the eruption occurred during day light hours and many of the population were able to escape from dangerous areas but 6 people were killed and it is estimated that up to 80% of the 100,000+ population were affected. The main underwater communication cable to the islands was damaged and communication within the Kingdom and to the outside world was virtually impossible for a number of weeks.
For a variety of reasons this natural disaster has gone off everyone's radar, but the lovely people of Tonga need help.
I was recently back in Tonga and Lord Tangi showed me around some of the devastated areas. Whole island populations have been relocated to the main island and the west coast resorts are still just piles of rubble. Much needed tourist dollars are still in short supply, so help is still required.

2024 Update

As of January 2024 Philip no longer works at Monash Health. As such he will not be seeing uninsured patients from the Metropolitan area. There will be no major change for Gippsland patients.

Philip led three trips to the Kingdom of Tonga in 2023 and a further trip in September 2024. The majority of outstanding cases from the pandemic have now been cleared and future trips will concentrate on providing and developing services with the donation of new equipment. The trips are now supported by the New Zealand based Pasifika Medical Association (PMA).

January 2025 Update

Philip will no longer be operating at Mulgrave Private Hospital. All private operations will be at St John of God Hospital in Berwick. Philip is very pleased that St John of God have invested in new stone equipment and he is now able to perform PCNL at the hospital.

The lithotripsy service that Philip established at Monash Health has been closed down. This is a major retrograde step meaning that any uninsured patient requiring lithotripsy will, once again, have to travel into Melbourne city and have a general anaesthetic procedure. This will have an impact on the services that Philip can provide in Gippsland. Central Gippsland Health Service has no stone equipment so any uninsured patients with proven urinary tract stones will have to be referred by their GP into the Metropolitan area as there is little point in Philip offering an opinion without the ability to offer treatment. Insured patients can have procedures at St John of God Hospital in Berwick.