A MOBILE phone reception black spot at Western Australia’s newest hospital has been blamed on “argy-bargy” between telecommunication companies.
THE lack of reception at Fiona Stanley Hospital has prompted doctors to speak out, saying they’re missing out on crucial communications, potentially putting patients lives at risk.
Reception at the hospital is available on the Optus network, but not to Vodafone or Telstra users. Australian Medical Association WA president Michael Gannon said the problem wasn’t good enough and should have been dealt with earlier. Fiona Stanley Hospital chief executive David Russell-Weisz admitted there was a problem, but blamed Telstra, saying Optus built $2 million worth of infrastructure last year after winning a tender process and other carriers were expected to become involved. “It wasn’t overlooked from the start,” Mr Russell-Weisz told Fairfax Radio. “What normally happens is then the other carriers follow in behind. “And we’ve just had protracted negotiations with Telstra. They’ve taken a lot longer than we would have thought.” Dr Gannon said competition between the telcos could be an issue. “There’s been some argy-bargy between the telcos – one of them was jealous that the other got the contract,” he said. Although it was not the fault of the Health Department, they were obliged to “get in there and fix it quickly”, he said. A Telstra spokesman said its mobile coverage in the wider area was good. “However, work for the infrastructure required to provide in-building coverage at this site was contracted to another carrier,” he said. “Telstra has been working closely with both Fiona Stanley Hospital and the carrier to resolve any current issues around in-building coverage as quickly as possible.” Comment is being sought from Optus.