Health workers sacked and massive medical claims paid out by taxpayer

Hundreds of patients have been awarded a total of $140m in compensation – and more than 200 medicos have been dismissed – because of medical bungles in recent years, parliament has heard.

Taxpayers are forking out around $10m every year for medical bungles. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Brenton Edwards

Hundreds of patients have been awarded a total of $140m in compensation because of State Government medical bungles in the past 13 years, parliament has been told.

SA-BEST MLC Frank Pangallo has released the information after probing health officials in the Parliament’s Budget and Finance Committee.

SA Health also revealed 211 health professionals have been dismissed, most for misconduct relating to patient care.

“The figures released by SA Health are deeply disturbing,’’ Mr Pangallo said.

“I suspect SA taxpayers would be extremely concerned that nearly $140 million has been paid out by SA Health for incidents of medical negligence over the past 13 years and a further 350 cases are pending.”

The figures show a total of 903 patients were given compensation since 2009/2010.

“This high number of legal actions is further evidence of the parlous condition of the state’s public health system where under-resourced and overworked doctors, nurses and other health professionals are making crucial mistakes in patient care which lead to medical negligent lawsuits and payouts,’’ Mr Pangallo said.

“Actual incidents of medical negligence are on the rise with 373 (an average of 74.6 each year) cases reported in the five years from 2017/18 to 2021/22, compared to 286 (average of 57.2 per year) in the five-year period from 2011/12-2015/16.

Taxpayers are forking out around $10m every years for medical bungles. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Morgan Sette

“The average annual cost to taxpayers for all payouts is also on the increase – rising from $9.18m in the five years to 2015/16 to $12.36 million in the five years to 2021/22.

“I suspected the figures would be high but even I was shocked by the extent as would the public.”

Health Minister Chris Picton said the errors were unfortunate.

“Our doctors and nurses work incredibly hard but unfortunately just like every health system in the world there are issues that sometimes occur that are appropriately dealt with through the legal system, “ he said.

“These figures from over the past 13 years cover successive governments and there would have been literally millions of patient treatments over that time.

“Whenever an error has occurred over these 13 years there is work done by clinicians to learn and improve practices under SA Health’s safety and quality systems. “

There has been a recent improvement with the latest figures showing there were 68 claims in 2021/22 compared to 74 in the year prior, and payouts dropping from $18.60m to $9.90m.

Mr Pangallo said: “We do not know the reasons for the payouts because patients and their families would need to sign confidentiality agreements”.

“It is worrying reports of medical negligence are increasing, which could be a reflection of the pressure on the workforce in our bloated and overstretched health system.

“Also worrying is that between 2014 and March this year, 211 staff within Allied Health, dental, nursing, ambulance officers medical and medical scientists were sacked for misconduct, along with negligence complaints.

“I would now like SA Health to provide reasons for those terminations.”