Victoria Premier defends taxpayer-funded Ozempic for Erin Patterson

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has defended the use of taxpayer-funded weight-loss medication, specifically Ozempic, for convicted murderer Erin Patterson. Patterson, who is serving life imprisonment following her conviction for the deaths of three relatives via a mushroom-laced meal, was recently prescribed the injections while held at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.

Premier Carroll stated that the decision to prescribe the medication is based on medical advice and that healthcare decisions for individual prisoners are left to medical experts. He noted that the availability of such medications in Victorian prisons follows a coronial inquest into the death of an Indigenous prisoner who suffered heart issues related to weight gain while in custody.

Opposition spokesperson Brad Battin has called for transparency regarding the reasons for the prescription, arguing that the state should not subsidize medication if the prisoner chooses not to engage in physical exercise.