Greg Malham, a well-known neurosurgeon at Epworth, Melbourne’s largest private hospital, is now at the centre of serious claims of sexist and unprofessional behaviour. These accusations, which come from both his coworkers and patients, have brought to light problems with the culture in Australia’s high-pressure medical institutions. People are now looking into the doctor’s behaviour that made many people feel uncomfortable and deeply affected. He had a reputation as an outstanding surgeon in the operating room.
The Corflute Incident – The Beginning of a Bigger Story
A video that went viral during the federal election campaign showed Malham tearing down a female politician’s campaign corflute with the words “always gotta bury the body.” This is how it all started. The context and creepy comment seemed to show how much Malham didn’t respect women. The video came out at a time when the country was already dealing with the effects of a number of violent crimes against women, and his actions made a lot of people angry.
The video was important not only because of how it demonstrated the man, but also because of how it showed how he felt about women in both his work and personal life. For a lot of people who worked with Malham, this video was a scary but not surprising look at the man they had worked with in the sterile, high-stakes world of surgery.
A Bad Work Environment – How Malham Treated His Coworkers
Malham didn’t just look unprofessional in the viral video. Former coworkers of Malham’s at Epworth, such as nurses and radiographers, talked about how he made the operating room a toxic place to work. Nurses and other staff members didn’t like working with him because he made rude comments and didn’t respect the people he worked with.
“God complex” was a common way for his fellow workers to talk about Malham. A lot of people said that he liked to put down his employees and treat them like they were less valuable, which made the workplace toxic. Katie, a former nurse, talked about how she worked close to Malham and saw him make inappropriate comments about women and spend too much time with his hand on a colleague’s back. Katie said, “There was a vibe in the recovery room… ‘Oh, here comes Greg.’ “Let’s get ready to feel weird.”
Patients Speak Out About the Egotistical Neurosurgeon
Malham’s arrogance wasn’t just a problem for the staff. Former patients also said he was arrogant and dismissive. One patient said he was “probably the most egotistical person I’ve ever met.” People say that his behaviour included making flirtatious comments to patients and their families, which made them feel uncomfortable while they were getting treatment.
Randall Cooke, a husband whose wife had a spinal fusion operation while Malham was in charge, made a very interesting comment. He talked about how the surgeon’s flirting made him feel uncomfortable, which showed how Malham often crossed the line in both his work and personal life.
The supposed death of Laura Heffernan – A sad ending
After Laura Heffernan, a 34-year-old nurse who had worked with Malham, executed herself, the most heartbreaking thing about his behaviour came to light. Laura died tragically in 2014 after being in an abusive relationship with Malham, who is said to have lied to her by keeping a secret relationship with another woman.
Laura wrote a heartbreaking suicide note in the days before she died, blaming Malham for the emotional pain he had caused her. In the note, she said she felt used and humiliated and asked, “How can you think you can know someone when they can be that evil?” Laura had been dating Malham for eight months when she found out he had been lying to both her and his ex-wife about their relationship. This made her more and more depressed.
Laura’s death had a huge emotional impact on those who knew her, and her death has left a lasting mark on them. Her family and coworkers have said how angry, shocked, and sad they are about her death. Many say that Malham’s treatment of Laura caused her to make the tragic choice to kill herself.
A Culture of Silence – Nurses and Colleagues Speak Out
Malham’s bad treatment of Laura wasn’t a one-time thing. Several coworkers talked about how Malham’s behaviour made the workplace toxic, especially how it affected the nurses who worked in his department emotionally. Radiographers like Maddison told stories of being very stressed and scared because of Malham’s unprofessional behaviour and high expectations. Maddison told Epworth’s HR department in a complaint that Malham treated her badly, which made her feel “intimidated, scared, and stressed.”
Some nurses were so upset by Malham’s actions after Laura died that they wouldn’t work with him. People thought that his emotional and professional abuse of staff was a big reason why the neurosurgery department at Epworth wasn’t working right.
Epworth’s Answer – Are Hospitals Doing Enough?
Andrew Stripp, the CEO of Epworth, spoke out against Malham’s behaviour in a statement, saying that the hospital was very concerned about what he had done. But the response wasn’t enough to make many of the staff and families who were hurt by Malham’s actions happy.
The hospital did something by telling Malham to report to the medical regulator (AHPRA), but his resignation and ability to continue working as a neurosurgeon have raised questions about accountability. The fact that Malham can still work without any issues makes people worry about how well the hospital handled the situation and about the bigger problem of unprofessional behaviour in the medical field.
The RACS Condemnation – Demands for Action
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) has spoken out against Malham’s actions and said that they go against what is expected of surgeons in Australia. Professor Owen Ung, the president of RACS, made it clear that surgeons must always act professionally and behave well, especially when dealing with patients and coworkers.
The college’s rules clearly say that you can’t have bad feelings towards medical staff, insult or humiliate others, or say things about their looks that they don’t want to hear. Malham broke these basic rules by making rude jokes and doing other things that weren’t right. This shows that the surgical profession needs more oversight.
Sexism in Surgery – A Problem That Has Been Around for a Long Time
Female surgeons who have worked with Malham have talked about the bigger problem of sexism in the medical field. For example, neurosurgeon Ruth Mitchell said she was worried about the “sexist culture” in neurosurgery, which is a field that is mostly made up of men. Dr. Mitchell brought out that only 16% of neurosurgeons in Australia are women. She said that women often have to “do the emotional labour” of dealing with inappropriate behaviour and power dynamics in the field.
Dr. Mitchell and others are worried that the toxic culture of the surgical field, where misogynistic attitudes are allowed to thrive, will continue to affect the professional growth and personal well-being of female trainees as more women enter the field.
Looking Ahead – A Demand for Responsibility and Change
Greg Malham’s story isn’t just about one man’s bad behaviour; it’s about a much bigger problem in the medical field. We need to deal with the toxic culture that lets this kind of behaviour continue, the lack of accountability for those in power, and the emotional toll it takes on both coworkers and patients.
The need for more transparency and accountability in these kinds of cases has never been more urgent as the investigation goes on. Malham’s actions in the operating room and in his personal life show that hospitals and other medical facilities need to be more strict about sexism, abuse of power, and unprofessional behaviour. We can only make sure that doctors and nurses are held to the highest standards in both their work and personal lives by changing our culture.
