Page 771 - Week 02 - Thursday, 25 February 2010
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What we have heard from this minister is denial and a refusal to accept that there is anything that goes beyond doctor politics and mud-slinging.
What we know is that there are allegations, and serious allegations, that include a dysfunctional complaints system. People have a fear of making complaints. Look at what has been said by people. I have had quotes, by people who have made complaints and been treated appallingly, that you would have to have rocks in your head because you get crucified.
Then we turn to the own-initiative investigation into the obstetrics service at the Canberra Hospital. We see that as early as 2005 complaints were made. The complaints were about the resignation of seven registrars who were unable to cope with the atmosphere, the personalities or the standards within the obstetric unit.
This is about the Canberra Hospital. This is not, as the minister asserts, about this 10-year war that is everywhere but the Canberra Hospital; this is about obstetric service at the Canberra Hospital. How is it that she can say that there is a 10-year war that is occurring everywhere except the Canberra Hospital?
We can see that the complaints that were made to the Health Services Commissioner in 2005 were specifically about the Canberra Hospital and specifically about the resignation of doctors, of registrars, and their being unable to cope with the atmosphere, the personalities or the standards. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Doesn’t that sound familiar from a minister who is denying that anything in her 10-year war had anything to do with the Canberra Hospital?
What happened about these complaints? What did we see? What action was taken? The first thing—in the review there is no further mention: there are no recommendations; there are no conclusions; there is no discussion of those complaints that were made, very serious allegations that led to the resignation of seven registrars. There is nothing there to say, no, that was not the case, or that it should be discounted. There is just no reference. What we find is that not only are they being ignored but there is no action being taken.
Nothing has been done, despite this government being fully aware of the fact that we have an obstetrics unit at the Canberra Hospital that is in crisis—and has been, in the minister’s words, for 10 years. We have got reports—which have been tabled to ministers, which have been conducted by the health commissioner five years ago—outlining those complaints. Not one thing has been done.
All we see from this minister is abject denial, refusal to take any responsibility. What does she do? She turns the attack to the very doctors that have made the complaints. She questions why these doctors have not come forward, have not wanted to speak to her about them and had to go through the royal college and make their complaints in quiet. She wonders why they want a judicial inquiry that has the status of an inquiry under the Inquiries Act. She wonders why that is what is being called for.
This is the result from all the people that have made complaints. There are the complaints that we know that Dr Liz Gallagher made to the general manager of the
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