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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2019 ..
MR MOORE (Minister for Health and Community Care) (3.58): For the information of members, I present the following papers:
The Canberra Hospital-Special Death Review Committee-Inquiry-Copies of:
Letter from Deputy Chief Executive, Clinical, The Canberra Hospital, to Directors, Gastroenterology Services, Trauma and Aeromedical Services and Pathology Services, dated 16 June 2000, attaching detailed terms of reference.
Report of Special Death Review Committee, dated 21 June 2000.
Statement by Michael Moore MLA, Minister for Health and Community Care.
I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the papers.
Mr Deputy Speaker, these papers relate to recent allegations that delays in surgical procedures contributed to the death of a member of our community. Let me begin by saying that there has been some speculation that this statement will be a personal savaging of the surgeon involved. It will not be. I have been accused of shooting the messenger. On the contrary, I have challenged the message, because it was not true. The facts of this case, unfortunately, require me to be critical of the public statements made by the surgeon involved, but I will limit my remarks to addressing the issues.
On 15 June a surgeon contracted to do public surgical work, Dr Philip Jeans, approached the Canberra Times with a story, which he wanted published anonymously, that deficiencies at the operating theatres had contributed to the death of a patient. This serious allegation was widely aired in the media. Many professional commentators and some members of the Assembly accepted these allegations without question and, indeed, elaborated on them.
The allegations made by the surgeon created the widespread impression of a frustrated surgeon, present and active at the hospital, pacing the corridors, insisting upon urgent action for six hours, but unable to get access to a theatre for the operation. According to the report of the death review committee, the impression created by the surgeon's allegations is quite false. The resulting public discussion has, in my view, done enormous damage to the reputation of the hospital and the confidence of the public in it.
Dr Jeans has claimed that the death was in part due to my actions in, as he saw it, limiting funding to the hospital and in refusing to address problems in the operations of the surgical theatres. I can only repeat once again that the government has increased, not cut, public funding to the hospitals through the ACT budgets and the annual purchase contracts.
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