Coroner to investigate deaths at Sydney hospitals, as two doctors are suspended
http://www.100md.com
《英国医生杂志》
An escalating political row about conditions at two Sydney hospitals has seen the deaths of 19 patients referred to the New South Wales coroner after the state government sacked the head of its own Health Care Complaints Commission.
Two doctors have been suspended and nine more referred to the state抯 medical board, which has powers to discipline and reregister, amid fears among colleagues that they could be made scapegoats.
The crisis at the Camden and Campbelltown hospitals in Sydney抯 sprawling southwestern suburbs only came to light because of the persistence of seven whistleblower nurses who complained about the deaths, which occurred between 1999 and 2003, and about poor care of patients.
The nurses complained of serious illness being missed and of wrong operations being performed, but when the management ignored them they went to the state抯 then health minister. One nurse was threatened that she could lose her career over the "slanderous allegations."
Now the Australian Medical Association says that although doctors are accountable for their own negligence they should not be blamed for having to work in chronically under resourced hospitals.
"In an under resourced area it could fall to the doctors to carry the load beyond their capacity and beyond the capacity whereby you would continue to have safe practice," said the association抯 New South Wales president, Dr Choong-Siew Yong.
The Health Care Complaints Commission first reported in February that all was well at the two hospitals. When it was forced to re-open the inquiry it found that the Camden hospital had too few doctors, nurses, and specialists and not enough skilled staff in intensive care and emergency wards.
It also found that members of staff who complained about standards were bullied and even sacked. The head of the commission was then fired and a new review ordered.
After the commission抯 second report was released 10 senior doctors at the two hospitals went public, accusing the state government of starving the area of funds and of the state opposition of exploiting the problem for political ends.
The New South Wales health minister, Morris Iemma, has defended the public hospital system in the wake of the findings of poor patient care and mismanagement, claiming that there was nothing new about complaints in a system that delivers tens of millions of services each year.
"It is simply unrealistic in a system this big to expect that mistakes and accidents will not occur from time to time," said Mr Iemma. New South Wales has a population of five million people.
The now sacked head of the area health service, Jennifer Collins, said she had to oversee two hospitals that were underfunded by about $A29m (￡12.3m; $22.2m; �17.5m) a year and that had great difficulties attracting expert doctors.
"We had two hospitals, we were in a growth area, and demand for services was far outstripping our ability to supply. We did the best we could with what we had," said Ms Collins.(Sydney Christopher Zinn)
Two doctors have been suspended and nine more referred to the state抯 medical board, which has powers to discipline and reregister, amid fears among colleagues that they could be made scapegoats.
The crisis at the Camden and Campbelltown hospitals in Sydney抯 sprawling southwestern suburbs only came to light because of the persistence of seven whistleblower nurses who complained about the deaths, which occurred between 1999 and 2003, and about poor care of patients.
The nurses complained of serious illness being missed and of wrong operations being performed, but when the management ignored them they went to the state抯 then health minister. One nurse was threatened that she could lose her career over the "slanderous allegations."
Now the Australian Medical Association says that although doctors are accountable for their own negligence they should not be blamed for having to work in chronically under resourced hospitals.
"In an under resourced area it could fall to the doctors to carry the load beyond their capacity and beyond the capacity whereby you would continue to have safe practice," said the association抯 New South Wales president, Dr Choong-Siew Yong.
The Health Care Complaints Commission first reported in February that all was well at the two hospitals. When it was forced to re-open the inquiry it found that the Camden hospital had too few doctors, nurses, and specialists and not enough skilled staff in intensive care and emergency wards.
It also found that members of staff who complained about standards were bullied and even sacked. The head of the commission was then fired and a new review ordered.
After the commission抯 second report was released 10 senior doctors at the two hospitals went public, accusing the state government of starving the area of funds and of the state opposition of exploiting the problem for political ends.
The New South Wales health minister, Morris Iemma, has defended the public hospital system in the wake of the findings of poor patient care and mismanagement, claiming that there was nothing new about complaints in a system that delivers tens of millions of services each year.
"It is simply unrealistic in a system this big to expect that mistakes and accidents will not occur from time to time," said Mr Iemma. New South Wales has a population of five million people.
The now sacked head of the area health service, Jennifer Collins, said she had to oversee two hospitals that were underfunded by about $A29m (￡12.3m; $22.2m; �17.5m) a year and that had great difficulties attracting expert doctors.
"We had two hospitals, we were in a growth area, and demand for services was far outstripping our ability to supply. We did the best we could with what we had," said Ms Collins.(Sydney Christopher Zinn)