Page 755 - Week 02 - Thursday, 25 February 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
MR SPEAKER: Mr Coe, a supplementary question?
MR COE: Yes, Mr Speaker. Minister, what other reviews and/or inquiries have been made into this 10-year war?
MS GALLAGHER: I do not think there has been any review or any inquiry into a 10-year war. The Health Services Commissioner, or the Health Complaints Commissioner at that time, did an own initiative investigation into a range of allegations that were being put about clinical standards at the Canberra Hospital. I am not aware of any review, and I am not sure that any could be commissioned under any authority. These are about relationships between doctors. It is silly to suggest that a review would be able to work that out. For the convenience of opposition for opposition’s sake and all the rest of it, you would like to pin a difference of opinion between doctors on me; I wish you well with that campaign because you simply will not be able to do it.
MR SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Hanson?
MR HANSON: Minister, what did you do to implement the results of any other reviews and inquiries that have been conducted during the last 10-year war?
MS GALLAGHER: There have been two investigations into allegations. The reviews have been into allegations that have been made about service standards at the Canberra Hospital.
The Health Services Commissioner had her own investigation. She made recommendations to the ACT Medical Board and to the College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and some recommendations to ACT Health. All of those that relate to ACT Health have been implemented.
In addition, there has been an Assembly inquiry—A pregnant pause—which looked at maternity services across the ACT and I think was chaired by Kerrie Tucker or Karin MacDonald—one of them. It was a very comprehensive review that looked at a whole range of issues. ACT Health and the government responded to that at the time; those recommendations, where they were supported, have been actioned by the government.
MR SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Hanson?
MR HANSON: Minister, if, in your words, it would be silly to suggest that a review could sort it out, what do you expect will be the outcomes of the current review that is proposed?
MS GALLAGHER: The review is responding to allegations that have been put. The review is not going to seek—and I do not think can—to resolve the tensions that exist across the obstetric community. That is specifically why I have asked the doctors themselves to put aside the differences of opinion and perspectives about how services should be run, particularly focused on the Canberra Hospital—as it always has been. The allegations have always been about the Canberra Hospital. Every time
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video