PERTH’S new hospital is not in crisis and Labor should take responsibility before raising “minor grievances” about the facility, the Australian Medical Association says.
THIS week, Labor claimed a 44-year-old man went into near-fatal anaphylactic shock after he was accidentally fed mushrooms, and a 82-year-old woman was left to “starve” while her test was delayed.
Opposition health spokesman Roger Cook has requested a parliamentary inquiry into ongoing problems at the $2 billion public facility. But West Australian AMA president Michael Gannon said the hospital was not in crisis and the opposition was overstating patient care issues. He said he had been briefed on the incidents and was far from convinced they were serious. “When it comes to minor grievances that would not be newsworthy if they happened in any other hospital in the state, I think we need a bit of a reality check,” Dr Gannon told ABC radio. “I think it’s important that the opposition take some responsibility before they air they concerns.” Health Consumers Council executive director Pip Brennan told ABC radio a parliamentary inquiry would not be appropriate because it would take too long. “We need work now, we need change now,” she said. On Wednesday, Health Minister Kim Hames accused Labor of trotting out patients for bad publicity rather than getting the facts beforehand. He said Labor was trying to win the 2017 election by attacking FSH and private contractor Serco, which runs some services at the hospital.