Sky News Australia to Air Investigation on Prescription Drug Overdose Crisis
Sky News Australia is set to air an eye-opening report titled “PAINkillers – Australia’s Deadly Epidemic” on Thursday, 8 February at 8.30pm AEDT. Hosted by Taylor Auerbach, the Investigations Reporter, this half-hour special delves into the critical issue of prescription drug overdoses, a problem that has escalated to crisis levels nationwide.
The program uncovers new, disturbing evidence of a significant rise in healthcare professionals improperly prescribing dangerous medications, bypassing state regulations to distribute prescriptions.
The Sky News team embarked on a nationwide journey, engaging with medical professionals, specialists, those battling addiction, and families mourning loved ones lost to overdoses, highlighting the urgent need for federal intervention in this escalating health emergency.
A poignant segment of the investigation features a confrontation with a pharmacist who was temporarily banned for six months after being discovered supplying vast quantities of lethal painkillers to criminal elements. Furthermore, the report includes a compelling encounter with a physician implicated in the opioid-related death of a patient in 2021, a tragic event leaving behind three fatherless children.
Taylor Auerbach expressed his personal connection and the profound impact of the findings on him, advocating for a comprehensive inquiry into Australia’s healthcare system. He remarked,
“Australian medicine needs more than a check-up, it needs a Royal Commission. My grandfather was a doctor, my grandmother, a dental nurse. I grew up around stethoscopes and prescription pads. But what I’ve discovered about the health system during this investigation has devastated me.“
Sky news is fake news.