Page 770 - Week 02 - Thursday, 25 February 2010
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Legislation Act, pursuant to section 64—
Health Act—Health (Interest Charge) Determination 2010 (No 1)—Disallowable Instrument DI2010-20 (LR, 11 February 2010).
Nature Conservation Act—Nature Conservation (Flora and Fauna Committee) Appointment 2010—Disallowable Instrument DI2010-21 (LR, 18 February 2010).
Victims of Crime Regulation—
Victims of Crime (Victims Assistance Board) Appointment 2010 (No 1)—Disallowable Instrument DI2010-18 (LR, 8 February 2010).
Victims of Crime (Victims Assistance Board) Appointment 2010 (No 2)—Disallowable Instrument DI2010-19 (LR, 8 February 2010).
Health system—Canberra Hospital
Discussion of matter of public importance
Mr ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): Mr Speaker has received letters from Ms Bresnan, Mr Coe, Mrs Dunne, Mr Hanson, Mr Hargreaves, Ms Hunter, Ms Le Couteur, Ms Porter, Mr Seselja and Mr Smyth proposing that matters of public importance be submitted to the Assembly. In accordance with standing order 79, Mr Speaker has determined that the matter proposed by Mr Hanson be submitted to the Assembly, namely:
State of the ACT health system.
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (3.25): In turning to this matter of public importance, let me say that it is difficult to identify where to start in terms of the state of the ACT health system. I will turn immediately to the concerns that have been raised in obstetrics at Canberra Hospital of late, a matter that has been covered fully in question time.
The concerns that have been raised have been broadly put in the media and were the subject of a motion yesterday. I just reiterate that the concerns that have been raised with me specifically by obstetricians who have recently left the Canberra Hospital are due to the concerns that they have about the cultures and the bullying there, that nepotism has put patient safety at risk, that clinical mistakes are being covered up, that there is a culture of abuse and bullying, that there is a deliberate strategy not to put anything on paper and that there are problems between the bureaucracy and the clinical staff.
These are very, very serious allegations. They have been echoed by Dr Andrew Foote, who is the chairman of the ACT branch of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, who has said:
We were concerned that the Minister was trivialising this issue and writing it off as doctor politics, but it’s really about patient safety and the safety for women and babies.
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