Page 4844 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 11 November 2009
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about people’s personal details, particularly in relation to the person who was found to have TB.
From the information that has been presented to date, it appears as though the situation could not have been prevented. The person in question who was found to have tuberculosis did not know they had it. Either way, they would have visited their partner or wife; they would have entered the hospital and come into contact with a number of patients, including new parents. We should remember that people at a hospital could be exposed to any number of diseases, and that includes, as has occurred very seriously in this case, newborns.
Ms Gallagher interjecting—
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Le Couteur): Ms Gallagher, please hear Ms Bresnan in silence. Ms Bresnan, please continue.
MS BRESNAN: Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. It is a terrible situation that people, most significantly newborns, have been exposed in this case. It must be incredibly scary and also angering for parents to discover that their newborn child could have contracted TB. It must be a terrible experience for the parents. It is emotional, and I think ACT Health have acknowledged the emotions involved and tried to be sensitive to this in dealing with the situation. I also acknowledge that there may have been some misunderstanding via the media about whether or not policies have been breached, but I do believe that today the minister has confirmed that there were not any breaches.
I note the points and issues Mr Hanson has made, and we do support a number of the points he has raised in the motion. I refer to the call on the minister to clarify policies and protocols with regard to partners staying overnight in shared postnatal wards in ACT public hospitals, to review the circumstances of the recent case where newborn infants were exposed to tuberculosis, and to identify whether any policies or protocols were breached.
The Greens will be supporting the government’s amendment to the motion, because I do think the matter has been addressed here today and does not warrant a review. I will point out that I do believe that it is important that protocols and policies regarding partners staying overnight in shared postnatal wards need to be flexible and allow for the best interests of families, depending on their circumstances. We do not know of the exact circumstances relating to why the person in question—that is, the person who was later found to have TB—was staying in the ward. At least I have not seen this information related. My understanding of this case is that the policies and protocols of visiting hours and overnight stays by parents in shared postnatal wards are clear. Again, I would say it does not warrant or require a review to be undertaken.
I did hear a discussion about the matter on ABC radio, and it seems the person who was later found to have TB was possibly requested to leave by TCH staff when visiting hours had finished but that this had not occurred. I will obviously stand corrected if this was not the case, and I apologise if it was so, but this is the information I have heard.
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