Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates slams local MP, state government over Bundaberg Hospital saga

Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates has headed straight to Bundaberg, likening Queensland Health’s newly announced malpractice probe to the darkest days in the local hospital’s history. VIDEO.

The current saga surrounding allegations of malpractice at Bundaberg’s hospital has been likened to the controversy of the Jayant Patel era.

Shadow Health Minister and former nurse and hospital administrator Ros Bates was in Bundaberg on Thursday, calling out the State government for not acting sooner on disturbing complaints made by patients and whistleblowers about Bundaberg Hospital.

It comes after the State Government announced Queensland Health would conduct an internal investigation into complaints about the hospital, including the conduct of nurses.

Ros Bates address media in Bundaberg on Thursday, saying she welcomed an investigation by Qld Health into Bundaberg Hospital, but says she would have preferred an independent inquiry.

Speaking to media at the Bundaberg Nurses War Memorial, Ms Bates slammed the Health Minister and the Premier, saying they seem to have distanced themselves from the controversy.

“It’s taken three months since this issue was raised for the Health Minister to actually act,” Ms Bates said.

“I wrote to the health Minister on the 11th of May, I’m yet to receive a response from her.

“Following that, I raised the issue in parliament on the 24th of May.

“I’m hoping we have some transparency and accountability from Yvette D’Ath as the health Minister.

“The buck stops with her, she’s the one who’s paid the big bucks and she’s the embattled health Minister whose overseen the red alert across Queensland.

“Annastacia Palaszczuk is nowhere to be seen except on a red carpet.”

The NewsMail reached out to Ms D’Ath to ask why she hadn’t replied to Ms Bates and if she planned to.

A spokeswoman for the Minister did not answer questions but told the NewsMail “the Health Minister welcomes the review and awaits its findings.”

Ms Bates also claimed the state Labor government and Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith attacked the LNP for calling for an investigation.

“During that time period, we’ve heard the government say ‘nothing to see here, the LNP are telling lies, whistleblowers aren’t telling the truth, nothing to see at all’,” she said.

“We’ve seen the member for Bundaberg Tom Smith basically call patients, whistleblowers and their family liars.

“Since that, we still don’t know what’s happening here at Bundaberg.”

The email Ms Bates sent to the Health Minister on May 11.

The email Ms Bates sent to the Health Minister on May 11.

Mr Smith told the NewsMail in a statement on Thursday he welcomed the review and stood by the words of the Queensland Health Director-General that there was no evidence to support the allegations.

“I welcome any review into standards and expectations around the management of medicines in Queensland Hospitals,” Mr Smith said.

“Wide Bay Health acted swiftly and appropriately to resolve the two incidents that occurred last year.

“As confirmed by the Director General, there is no substantial evidence to suggest that patient harm or death has occurred as a result of those independent matters.”

Bundaberg MP Tom Smith and Health Minister Yvette D’Ath at the site where a $1.2 billion Bundaberg level 5 hospital is set to be built.

The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service Board was also front of mind for Ms Bates who said they should be “fronting up” to the allegations raised.

“As a former hospital administrator, the first thing you do when something’s going on in your hospital is to front up, and that’s what the HHS should be doing right now,” she said.

“The medical director, the director of nursing and the chief executive all should be fronting up and explaining to the people of Bundaberg what is going on and to make sure that they realise these aren't systemic issues and that they will deal with each issue as it arises and give the services to the people of Bundaberg that they so rightly deserve.”

Ms Bates echoed concerns of patient advocate Beryl Crosby, who said she would have liked to see an independent inquiry instead.

“Beryl has been the spearhead for previous investigations into the Bundaberg Hospital, I agree with Beryl, an independent inquiry should occur,” she said.

Ms Crosby told the NewsMail last month at a press conference with Burnett MP Stephen Bennett that Queensland Health couldn’t be relied on to conduct an internal inquiry.

“There’s been investigations into hospitals down in Metro North that have never seen the light of day,” she said.

“You can’t rely on Queensland Health to investigate itself, it has to be an external review, it has to be.”

Mugshot of Doctor Jayant Patel released by the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office in Portland Oregon, 11/03/2008.

Burnett MP Stephen Bennett agreed with Ms Crosby, adding the health department was “becoming notorious” for internal investigations.

“Internal investigations are, inevitably, a cover up, and we’ve made that allegation this week a number of times … internal investigation process [is] what Queensland Health are becoming notorious for,” Mr Bennett said.

Bundaberg Hospital is known for being embroiled in the controversy of Jayant Patel, a doctor who was originally convicted of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm before those convictions were quashed by the High Court of Australia. He later pleaded guilty to fraud.

“Bundaberg do not want to see a repeated Jayant Patel, they want to see better from the Queensland Government,” Ms Bates said.