Concern Australian doctor ‘pushed’ out as chair of medical insurer board over social media posts on Gaza war

Dr Stephen Parnis, a former vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, said he had never ‘purported to represent’ his interests on behalf of the Medical Insurance Group of Australia or its members. Photograph: Supplied

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.