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The Simon Gordon case reveals systemic failures in women's healthcare

Women's Health in the South East

Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) is heartbroken by the allegations reported by ABC's Four Corners about Melbourne gynaecologist Dr Simon Gordon. We stand, without reservation, with every woman who has been harmed, and with those who are only now beginning to understand what may have happened to them.

We want to start by saying something important: these women did nothing wrong. For anyone living with endometriosis or chronic pelvic pain, finding a doctor who finally takes your suffering seriously can feel like coming up for air after years of being underwater. Women with these conditions are routinely dismissed, sent away, told their pain is in their heads or simply part of being a woman. When a specialist steps in and says 'I see you, I can help' - you believe them. You are right to believe them. That is what trust in healthcare is supposed to look like. The betrayal alleged here is not a reflection of the women involved. It is a profound failure of the systems and structures that were meant to protect them.

This is not a story about women who made poor choices. It is a story about power; and what happens when gender inequality goes unchallenged inside our healthcare institutions. When women raise complaints and are not heard. When the professional standing of a prominent male surgeon is weighted more heavily than the consistent, documented concerns of patients and, we can reasonably assume, of clinical staff working alongside him. Every person who witnessed something troubling and felt they could not safely speak further -  that silence belongs to the institution, not to the individual. Creating cultures where concerns can be raised, taken seriously, and acted upon is a governance responsibility. That responsibility was not met.

The Victorian Inquiry into Chronic Pain heard powerful testimony about the everyday reality of women's pain being minimised and ignored. What the Gordon allegations describe goes further still. The removal of ovaries and a uterus from a young woman - without pathological evidence to justify it - is not simply a clinical error. It is a violation of her right to make real, informed decisions about her own body and her future. It is reproductive coercion. And it did not happen in a vacuum. It is a consequence of systems that have long treated women's pain as a problem to be managed, rather than a reality to be believed and properly addressed.

The questions raised about Medicare billing are urgent and cannot be allowed to fade from view. The alleged pattern of repeatedly billing for the highest-cost endometriosis surgical item number - at rates far exceeding any peer - should have been visible. Women brought complaints. Hospital management was reportedly informed. Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) received concerns. The data existed. What was missing was not information. What was missing was institutional will to act on it. That is the accountability gap we must close - not by asking more of women, but by demanding more of the systems entrusted with their care.

WHISE calls for:

A thorough and transparent investigation by AHPRA — not only into Dr Gordon's conduct, but into how complaints were received and handled, and whether the concerns raised by women and colleagues were given the weight they deserved.

Urgent review of hospital governance frameworks around visiting medical officer accountability, so that institutions cannot continue to receive concerns about a practitioner's practice without clear obligations to act.

An examination of Medicare billing surveillance mechanisms, to determine whether anomalous procedural patterns - particularly for high-cost, high-risk item numbers - can and should trigger proactive review before harm accumulates.

The Victorian Government to respond to the findings of the Chronic Pain Inquiry with the urgency this moment demands. The reform we need is not about fixing women or teaching them to advocate harder. It is about fixing the systems - regulatory, institutional, and cultural - that have consistently failed to believe them.

To every woman affected by this: your pain was real. Your trust was reasonable. You deserved so much better — and you still do. WHISE will keep advocating for healthcare systems that believe women, that centre their experiences, and that hold institutions to account when they fall short.

Support services

If this story has raised concerns for you, support is available.

Lifeline  |  13 11 14 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention  |  lifeline.org.au

Beyond Blue  |  1300 22 4636 Mental health support, information and referrals  |  beyondblue.org.au

Endometriosis Australia Peer support, education and resources for people with endometriosis  |  endometriosisaustralia.org

About us:

ABOUT WHISE

 

WHISE is a leading health promotion and primary prevention organisation dedicated to improving women's health and wellbeing in the Southern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne. WHISE forms part of a network of Women’s Health Services across Victoria. Working in partnership with various stakeholders, WHISE advocates for gender equity, conducts research, delivers health promotion initiatives, and provides capacity-sharing support to enhance the delivery of women's health services. For more information, visit www.whise.org.au  

Contact details:

WHISE Communications Lead: Doseda Hetherington 0412 317 334.