SA Health to appeal $115,000 bullying compensation payout to Dr Renuka Visvanathan
SA Health will try to stop a $115,000 compo payout to a top doctor who endured a “nightmare” of bullying – but refuses to say how much taxpayers have spent on legal fees.
SA News
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SA Health will appeal a $115,000 compensation payout to a doctor after a three-year hearing into serious bullying allegations.
Dr Renuka Visvanathan told the SA Employment Tribunal that she endured a “nightmare” of bullying that included work bias, being frozen out of meetings, as well as having a supervisor secretly record a private conversation between the pair.
The Health Department denied discriminatory behaviour while admitting “robust” discussions occur among its leaders, and some “tensions” in a “dynamic environment”.
Her then-supervisor Dr Chris Zeitz also denied bullying, instead claiming that it was Dr Visvanathan who had bullied him.
The tribunal heard that on February 16, 2015, she had written to then-Central Adelaide Local Health Network chief executive Dr David Panter setting out in detail her “fear”, “concerns”, “worry” and “anxiety” about bias against her in the selection process for the job as Head of Unit for CALHN’s geriatric unit – which she did not get.
However, at one stage, the department looked at sacking Dr Visvanathan instead of investigating her claims.
Tribunal deputy president Stephen Lieschke upheld the complaint in part, ruling Dr Visvanathan was entitled to be paid $115,160, comprising compensation for economic loss and expenses of $75,160 and injury costs of $40,000.
Dr Visvanathan, who remains a SA Health employee, declined to comment.
SA officials have declined to comment further, and have not revealed the amount of their legal costs.
SA Salaried Medical Officers Association senior industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland said: “SA Health should come clean about how much their failed legal defence in this case has cost the taxpayers of South Australia.
“This extraordinary case highlights how hospital administrators and human resources departments are not just failing to respond properly to legitimate claims of bullying and harassment, but in some cases, seem to be actively hindering proper investigation.
“It is time health administrators were held accountable and responsible for their failures, the culture it is creating, and its consequences.
“This behaviour by hospital administrators creates an ongoing culture of fear and intimidation – and also leaves individual clinicians significantly damaged both financially and emotionally.”
