Senior Medical Staff Association demands apology from Campbell Newman over ‘Ebo-lunder scandal

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SENIOR doctors warn of a new battlefront in Queensland Health in a bitter stand-off over a public apology to two specialists exonerated by a two-month inquiry into the “Ebo-lunder” scandal at Cairns Hospital.

The Senior Medical Staff Association, which represents 3,500 specialists in the state’s hospitals, has demanded Premier Campbell Newman and Queensland Health Director-General Ian Maynard apologise for the treatment of the doctors.

But Mr Maynard last night refused to apologise and stood by his decision to fly to Cairns ahead of the 10-week suspension of the two clinicians.

It came after The Courier-Mail published a front-page article about concerns by a group of senior doctors over the handling of a suspected Ebola case.

Cairns hospital had no local Ebola protocols in place at the time and any breach of conduct by the doctors for airing concerns about patient care was at the “lowest end of the spectrum’’, the investigation report found.

“Both doctors had their lives turned upside down, hundreds of patients were disadvantaged, and a massive amount of taxpayer money spent on this inquiry,’’ said Dr Heather McDonald, of SMSA (FNQ).

“The report identified systemic errors while the doctors were completely exonerated. They deserve an apology.’’

Red Cross volunteer nurse Sue-Ellen Kovack, 56, of Cairns, was admitted to hospital – and ultimately tested negative to Ebola – after returning from treating patients in Sierra Leone in October last year.

The report also noted Mr Maynard and two other non-clinical QH executives breached accepted Ebola protocols and entered the isolation room in the emergency department to talk with the patient.

The SMSA condemned the behaviour of senior management as “unprofessional and unwarranted’’.

Mr Maynard conceded the findings of the report “did note that there wasn’t a local procedure for managing Ebola virus”. He said there were now local protocols to deal with the killer virus.

Together Union’s Dr Sandy Donald said the latest fallout was a sign of the “continuing war on doctors” after the contract dispute.

“These doctors were held hostage, and suspension used as a weapon, to gag them over concerns about patient care,’’ Dr Donald said.

Source: Courier Mail