Please support Dr Sarah Myhill

Dr Sarah Myhill is in danger of being suspended – again! The British General Medical Council have been after her since 2001. She was cleared of all previous allegations in 2007. The previous investigations have cost in the vicinity of £500k. This money could have been used for biomedical research rather than harassing a doctor who has never had a patient complaint made against her.




The latest round has been triggered by an email complaining about her website. The GMC seem to be hair-trigger set to go after her, so this is sufficient to call a hearing to try to withdraw her right to practice medicine. The GMC claim to ‘regulate doctors, ensuring good medical practice’. What about the legions of doctors treating patients with ME negligently on the basis of the psychiatric paradigm? What about the doctors involved in the death of Sophia Mirza?
Dr Myhill says:

“…on the basis of this unsubstantiated complaint by an anonymous complainant, the GMC have decided that ‘there is a potential risk to public safety’.

“There are no specific allegations, I am not being allowed to defend myself against any such allegations, I may have to wait a further 18 months for such a hearing when my licence could then be restored – I am presumed guilty until I can prove my innocence. This is the opposite to normal English law.
“No patient has complained, no patient has been harmed and no patient has been put at any risk of harm.
“However, should I lose my licence, patients will certainly be put at risk of harm; partly because they will be denied access to medication essential to their well being, partly because they will lose access to tests and partly because I will be unable to support patients in applications for DLA and other such medico-legal issues.”

Here is an outline of the situation: Dr Sarah Myhill: My GMC Hearing, and an Open Letter which is shorter.
Please help!

1. Sign the petition. (Nervous nellies can tick the box to withhold their name from public view online while still having their signature count.)
2. Email the General Medical Council.
3. Phone, fax or write to these people.
4. Join the Facebook group to show solidarity.
5. Attend the hearing in London. Seats are booked out, but there is going to be a demonstration. Time: 13.30pm Date: Thursday 29 April 2010 Venue: Outside the GMC offices at Regent’s Place, 350 Euston Road, London NW1 3JN Map: See HERE. Relevant tube stations are Great Portland Street, Warren Street and Euston Square. The nearest National Rail stations are Euston and King’s Cross St. Pancras Demo Coordinator: Ruth Myhill at ruth.lyreco@yahoo.co.uk - please email Ruth to express your interest and let her know if you will be coming. If you can’t attend, please email a card or banner to Ruth at the above address with your photo and your story so you can be represented in paper!

Time is of the essence, the hearing is on April 29th.

Out of steam and brain like mashed banana, so here are my brother's words, from a note he sent to friends this morning:

Hi guys,

http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Category:My_GMC_Hearing
I probably should give more information. This is the doctor that my sister was seeing in the UK and still consults with. Her treatment regime is still in place and is the only thing that has been of any real benefit to my sister in recent years. Dr Myhill is extremely intelligent, articulate and generous as a doctor and a human being and has selflessly devoted her efforts into understanding ME.
At current there is a wide divide in the ME medical community with a certain faction of doctors still saying that ME is 'all in the head’, and fronting campaigns to actively deride and obstruct the well-founded research and intentions of the good doctors and researchers who are conducting proper scientific biomedical research regarding the various aspects of this disease.
My sister has a great blog regarding her illness which is a fantastic starting point to understand the nature of the disease and the many controversies surrounding its treatment.
http://www.greenwordsgrowing.com/
If you guys could forward this information to anyone who you think may be willing to write a protest email regarding the vilification of Dr Myhill I would be really thankful.
I love my big sister dearly. She is my hero, and it breaks my heart to see research funds and public money squandered in meaningless ways for political reasons when there are fantastic doctors out there who are dedicating their lives to research/treatment of this disease.

***

Update April 14:
Here are form letters by my brother that anybody can use or adapt if they wish to write to the GMC.
Version 1:

to pbridge@gmc-uk.org
to ndickson@gmc-uk.org
bcc office@doctormyhill.co.uk
bcc craighrobinson@hotmail.co.uk
Dear GMC and Mr Paul Bridge,
Re: Case Reference: PB/C1-314994282
I am writing to register my objection to the attempt to withdraw the licence of Dr Sarah Myhill. (Insert something about yourself if you wish.)
I strongly disagree with the case against Dr Myhill or that there is “potential risk to public safety”. No patient has made a complaint, or been put at harm by Dr Myhill - indeed the loss of her right to practice would be a real and immediate risk to her patients and the wider ME community. Dr Myhill is highly regarded internationally for her work and biomedical research into ME.
Sincerely,

Version 2:

to pbridge@gmc-uk.org
to ndickson@gmc-uk.org
bcc office@doctormyhill.co.uk
bcc craighrobinson@hotmail.co.uk

Mr Paul Bridge, General Medical Council
3 Hardman St, Manchester
M3 3AW
Mr Paul Bridge and the GMC,
I understand that on Thursday April 8th 2010 at 10am Dr Sarah Myhill was ordered by the GMC to attend a hearing with a view to withdrawing her licence to practice (Case Reference: PB/C1-314994282).
Apparently the basis for this hearing is in regard to one anonymous complaint about her website received one week previously, and to which she had yet to reply. However, on the basis of this unsubstantiated complaint by an anonymous complainant (she was told his name but not who he was), the GMC has spuriously concluded that “there is a potential risk to public safety”.
As I understand the situation, there are no specific allegations held against Dr Myhill, she is not being granted sufficient means to defend herself against any such allegations, and she may have to wait a further 18 months for such a hearing when her licence could then be restored, during which time innumerable and unnecessary suffering will be thrust upon her patients.
I find this spurious denigration of Dr. Myhill to be not only a disgrace and a serious misappropriation of the GMC’s funds, but more importantly, it is of great concern that this action could actively inhibit the care of ME patients and the progress of the ME/CFS medical community worldwide. As such, I urge the GMC to be the voice of reason in this situation and to retain dignity by resolving this situation immediately and ceasing these repeated and absurd challenges to Dr Myhill’s right to practice.
I would very much appreciate it if you could acknowledge receipt of my letter to you, and for you to keep me informed as to when and where the hearing will take place so that I can make myself available to attend.
OPTIONAL
As I am in [insert country if not in UK] I request to send a proxy in my place or arrange a video linkup to attend a future Fitness to Practice Hearing to give evidence.
Sincerely,

If you want to write your own, some other letters are here for inspiration: 1 2 3 4 5
Thanks so much for your time.
Update April 19:
Another way to contribute is to be a member of the ‘Silent Army’ and attend the demonstration via sending a card or photo in, which I’ve done. See point 5 above.
Update May 7:
As everyone probably already knows, things did not go well for Dr Myhill. See her site for details.