Artificial eye maker Jack McDonald ordered to stop providing services while investigation underway
The ABC has heard from clients of Mr McDonald who have been unhappy with the artificial eyes he has made for them.
The Health Complaints Commissioner, Adjunct Professor Bernice Redley, said she had published the Interim Prohibition Order against Mr McDonald.
"An Interim Prohibition Order (IPO) is a measure I can put in place if I reasonably believe a general health service provider has contravened the code of conduct applying to general health services, and I am satisfied that an IPO is necessary to avoid a serious risk," she said.
The IPO prevents Mr McDonald from providing or advertising health services for 12 weeks, but it could be extended if the investigation is ongoing and deemed to be needed to avoid a serious risk to the public.
"I take any alleged breach of the General Code of Conduct in respect of general health services very seriously and will take the necessary action against providers who put the public's health, safety or welfare at risk," Commissioner Redley said.
Previously, Mr McDonald's website stated he was operating out of offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Dandenong, Hobart, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Geelong and Auckland.
The Victorian Health Complaints Commission IPO is mutually recognised in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.
Head of the Ocularists Association Peter Knowles has previously raised concerns about Mr McDonald's work.
He has welcomed the decision by the commissioner.
"It clearly shows that government departments such as the health complaints commission continue to play a vital role in ensuring that health services are provided in a manner that places patient care and wellbeing first," Mr Knowles said.
"My concerns also remain for those many patients who … have outlaid a considerable amount of money and time and received nothing suitable or fit for purpose in return."
There are no government regulatory hurdles to clear before being able to act as an ocularist in Australia and no requirement to be a member of the Ocularists Association.
Mr McDonald is not a member of the Ocularists Association of Australia, nor is he required to be.
Mr McDonald has been contacted for comment.
Clients of Mr McDonald have previously shared their grievances against him with the ABC.
Ron Clark in Sydney said the eye made for him by Mr McDonald "bulged out of the socket".
He said the situation became intolerable after the eye fell out while he was out for dinner.
"I was actually chasing [it] around the restaurant floor and the back of the eye was white and so was the tile flooring of the restaurant," he said.
Mr Clark spoke to the ABC because he did not want others to "suffer through like I have".
Jenny Miller lost her eye to cancer.
She told the ABC the eye made for her by Mr McDonald was "hideous" and like a "fish eye".
Ms Miller described the process of having an eye made by Mr McDonald as "quite harrowing".
She made a complaint with the Health Complaints Commissioner in Victoria.
"I just don't want people to go through this," she said.
"I am old and weathered and quite resilient, but if you're young and this is something that's happened, it's not a nice thing."
The Health Consumers Forum of Australia has previously called on the federal government to bring the sector together with clients and clinicians to talk about how best to improve the situation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
14 minutes ago
- ABC News
Fears Clermont's sole GP will leave town over new hospital shifts
When doctor Tim Lane, his partner and young son moved to Clermont in central Queensland 18 months ago, it ended six years of community uncertainty. After years of lobbying, advertising and a few false starts, the town of 3,000 finally had a permanent doctor at the hospital and a promise to open a second GP clinic in town. However, rostering changes implemented by Mackay Hospital and Health Service (MHHS) have locals worried there will be fewer available GP appointments. Dr Lane is now required to work 7am–9am and 4pm–7pm in the hospital. Sam Faint, chair of community advocacy group ClermontCONNECT, said this would mean 10–15 fewer GP appointments a day. She said initially an integrated roster system allowed Dr Lane flexibility to run the GP practice "while prioritising work inside the hospital". "It's unlikely that the surgery will be able to continue to be viable if that model doesn't revert back to what it was." Dr Lane declined to comment but, in a statement, his practice manager Deb Shore said changes meant the GP clinic would reduce opening hours. "[It will] limit the flexibility we've had to support the hospital emergency department and collaborate with the health service when needed," the statement read. In a statement, MHHS said there had been no change to the medical model that enabled doctors to work in the hospital and in general practice. It said under this employment arrangement, there were required hours of attendance at Clermont's Multi-Purpose Health Service (MPHS). The health service said it could not comment on opening hours of a privately owned general practice. A second permanent doctor has started work at the MPHS, a move MHHS said would increase medical coverage. The new doctor will work five days a fortnight at the hospital and the other five at the GP surgery. The second doctor is completing her general practitioner qualifications and will be required to work under Dr Lane's supervision for six months. A locum doctor is also employed to cover when both permanent doctors are rostered off. Recruiting doctors to work in the Isaac region is a long-standing issue, and community advocates such as Ms Faint worry what might happen if Dr Lane leaves. For a permanent population of 22,500 people and a large itinerant workforce of around 13,000, the region is serviced by six GPs in Moranbah, as well as one each in the smaller towns of Dysart and Middlemount. An outreach clinic services Nebo to the east. In January, doctor Sarah McLay closed her Clermont Country Practice, the town's only other clinic, with some patients transitioning to telehealth appointments from Emerald, more than 100 kilometres away. That same month, the Moranbah Sonic Health Plus practice closed after 10 years, with no reason given. Clermont, a three-hour drive from Mackay and four hours from Rockhampton, has lived with periods of uncertainty in health care before. The community has previously fought to attract permanent doctors and reduce its reliance on expensive locums. Steve Salleras worked as a GP in Clermont from 1998 to 2001 and said health outcomes had been consistently worse for people in rural and remote areas. In a statement, Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said primary care was not the state government's responsibility. "The Commonwealth government has vacated the field in Clermont and dozens of other rural and remote communities of Queensland, leaving it up to Queensland Health to step in a fill the gap," Mr Nichols said. In a statement, federal MP for Capricornia Michelle Landry said the appeal of rural health roles had declined over the past few years. She described the absence of a permanent GP in any small community as "dangerous". A spokesperson for the federal health department said under the Workforce Incentive Program a GP in Clermont could receive up to $60,000 annually, while a GP practice could receive up to $215,280 a year. Dr Salleras said small Queensland communities like Theodore and Cloncurry had successfully built sustainable health models to support both emergency and primary care, but it relied on making a doctor's time in a rural area as smooth as possible. "[If there are] high levels of trust, that makes it a positive place to attract people and means that there's potential even for a succession plan," he said.
ABC News
14 minutes ago
- ABC News
Independent review into Monash IVF embryo bungles in Melbourne and Brisbane to remain secret
Monash IVF has received an independent review into unrelated cases of embryo mix-ups in Brisbane and Melbourne but the contents will remain secret. In an announcement to the ASX today, the fertility giant said the review, undertaken by barrister Fiona McLeod KC, would not be released publicly to protect the privacy of affected patients. "Both cases involved non-standard IVF treatments and circumstances that would not arise in the vast majority of IVF procedures," Monash IVF said in the ASX announcement. The review concluded the Brisbane incident was the result of human error. It found the Melbourne incident resulted from a range of factors, including human error at multiple stages and IT system limitations "in the very limited circumstances of an embryo transfer to a partner". "Those limitations ultimately made subsequent processes more vulnerable to human error," the ASX announcement said. In April, revelations emerged that one of Monash IVF's Brisbane patients had been mistakenly implanted with another woman's embryo in 2023 and gave birth to a baby who had no genetic links to her later that year. Then, in June, the fertility company apologised for a second time in as many months after a patient received her own embryo "contrary to the treatment plan which designated the transfer of an embryo of the patient's partner".
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Dead turtles with bleeding eyes wash up on Port Stephens beaches
Wildlife carers are investigating the cause of death of dozens of turtles that have washed ashore north of Newcastle, with some showing unusual symptoms such as bleeding around the eyes. In the past month, marine rescue group Sea Shelter has recorded the deaths of 25 green turtles that washed ashore at Port Stephens beaches, seven of them in the past week alone. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service confirmed it was investigating the deaths of at least 32 turtles in recent weeks. Sea Shelter founders Lia and Ryan Pereira said the sudden spike was deeply concerning. "It's definitely very, very worrying," Ms Pereira told ABC Newcastle Breakfast. The Pereiras have been rescuing marine life through their Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters business for more than a decade. The deaths are under investigation by multiple agencies, including NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Primary Industries and the Taronga Zoo's Australian Registry of Wildlife Health. Veterinarian Tom Tran, who works with Sea Shelter, has been conducting necropsies on the turtles. "We take pictures and tissue samples and send them to a special lab in Sydney," Dr Tran said. The dead turtles have been found across several popular swimming spots, including Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay and Corlette. Mr Pereira said while the wash-ups appeared to be concentrated near popular beaches, that could be because the large local population made sightings more likely. In a statement, National Parks and Wildlife Service confirmed samples were being collected for testing and investigations into the cause were underway. The Taronga Zoo registry said in a statement it had undertaken necropsies on two turtles and was conducting diagnostic testing on samples from a further 15 marine turtles from Port Stephens to understand their cause of death. "It is too early to establish a definitive diagnosis," the statement read. "A thorough, multifaceted investigation is underway and it may take some weeks to determine the factors contributing to the event." The NSW Environmental Protection Authority said it was not involved in the investigation.
