Canberra Health Services Issues Apology for Controversial Video

An apology that has been issued by Canberra Health Services is following a backlash of a video that imputed endometriosis and arthritis as conditions that could not warrant a visit to the emergency department. The video was part of Canberra health services’ health literacy campaign, meaning the video was a part of educating the public on the priorities of care in emergency care. The video has been taken down on Canberra health services Instagram account; however, it is still available on ABC News. According to Lesley Freedman, EndoActive, which is one of the advocacy groups, was deeply offended by the video. This fanatical perspective highlights that there is still a need for more education concerning these conditions, which are often misunderstood or not given any preference by emergency department staff.

According to ABC News, a spokesperson for the organization supported the campaign by stating that most people who visit the emergency room with chronic conditions were already being treated by their general practitioner. The spokesperson further admits that the campaign “was unfortunate,” with the suggestion that Canberra health services is quite interested in improving patients’ services who have endometriosis. The spokesperson further suggested that the hospital has a specialized clinic for conditions such as endometriosis. The rationale of managing these chronic conditions which often presents itself as a “coincidence” in the emergency department means that supporting these conditions by general surgeons is the wrong practice.