High-profile emergency physician Dr Stephen Parnis has stepped down as chair of the board of a leading medical insurance provider in an apparent response to concerns about statements he has made on social media opposing the war in Gaza.
Parnis, a former vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, announced in an email to members of the Medical Insurance Group of Australia (Miga) last Monday that he was giving up his role as chair of the board.
“I have exercised my right as an individual to comment on matters in the public domain based on my own views and conscience,” Parnis said in the email.
“At no time have I purported to represent these interests on behalf of Miga and its members, however, I consider it prudent to step down from my role as Chair of the Board.”
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Parnis said he would remain as a director on the board but that Miga would be “reviewing its Social Media Policy to ensure it reflects good governance and contemporary expectations of everyone who represents our organisation and our members”.
Miga is a major indemnity insurance provider for healthcare workers, providing access to legal and financial support to manage medical malpractice claims. It has more than 30,000 members.
Parnis, who became a director of Miga in 2019, has been a vocal opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza and sympathised with Palestinians. He has also been openly critical of the Trump regime and Robert F Kennedy Jr’s anti-vaccination stance, expressed opposition to voluntary assisted dying and voiced his opinion on other matters.
In an article for the health website Croakey in October last year, Parnis argued that doctors should take a position on Gaza because they had “an important role to play in advocating for harm reduction”. He also said he had “seen the personal attacks, the financial and social persecution of those whose careful assessments have led them to speak out for the reduction of harm and violence in Israel and Palestine”.
He paid tribute in the article to the medical professionals in Gaza, where the Palestinian health ministry reports at least 1,581 health workers have been killed since 7 October 2023.
Parnis posts regularly to X about human rights issues and has received public threats and abuse on that platform in response to his posts on Gaza.
Parnis has also spoken out against instances of alleged antisemitism in the community.
A coordinated letter-writing campaign in support of Parnis accused Miga of having “pushed Stephen Parnis out of his board chair position for expressing his personal views on Gaza” and urged Miga members to write to the board, requesting “clarification on the circumstances surrounding this decision”.
Noting that the medical board’s code of conduct acknowledged the rights of doctors to express their personal views in line with their ethics, the letter said: “It raises significant concerns if Dr Parnis has been asked to step down specifically for expressing his views, especially considering his exemplary advocacy during a critical humanitarian crisis. This situation prompts questions about whether … Miga will support its members who are targeted by vexatious complaints.”
At the time of writing, 63 emails had been sent as part of that campaign.
A Melbourne GP, Dr Mariam Tokhi, told Guardian Australia that health workers had been “quietly struggling” against “covert silencing of people who speak out against violence or criticise Israel” for the past couple of years.
“That has included a spate of vexatious complaints against health workers who have expressed public concerns about Israel’s destruction of Gaza,” Tokhi said.
“Many of us are worried about Miga’s move for Dr Parnis to step down as chair, as clinicians rely on the Medical Defence Organisation to support us against vexatious complaints.”
In an article for Croakey on Friday, paediatric rehabilitation physician Dr Safiyyah Abbas questioned whether Parnis’s demotion was “the sentinel event for Australian doctors” who spoke publicly about their views on Gaza.
“Miga and other medical indemnity companies must urgently clarify whether they will protect doctors who speak up for Palestine and criticise Israel (or Australia or any other country, for that matter) to allow doctors to make an informed decision, given they must be indemnified to work,” Abbas wrote.
Parnis declined to comment to Guardian Australia.
Miga declined to comment on the circumstances of Parnis’s resignation but said in a statement: “We support, represent, and advocate for all of our members – regardless of race or culture, religion, age, gender or sexuality – to ensure they can practise safely and confidently, and deliver quality care to the community. As a broad and diverse member organisation, Miga respects the rights of all of our members to hold and express personal and differing views.”
Do you know more? Contact: stephanie.convery@theguardian.com
