Hospital crisis: NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner kept new scandal under wraps

EMBATTLED Health Minister Jillian Skinner has admitted she kept yet another deadly public health scandal secret for three months.

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EMBATTLED Health Minister Jillian Skinner has admitted she kept yet another deadly public health scandal secret for three months.

Fronting the media yesterday, Ms Skinner revealed a ­Sutherland cancer doctor had incorrectly treated his ­patients, two of whom have died, and that NSW Health knew about it way back in April.

NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner. Picture: Stephen Cooper

The admission she kept the investigation under wraps follows two other recent scandals under her watch.

A baby died and another was brain-damaged at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital after being given nitrous oxide ­instead of oxygen.

And at St Vincent’s Hospital, more than 100 cancer ­patients were given inadequate chemotherapy doses by a doctor who has been stood aside.

Ms Skinner last week revealed the tragedy of newborn baby John Ghanem, who died at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, but only after the tragedy was reported in the media.

Sonya Ghanem, with her son Joe, 2. Her newborn baby died at due to an oxygen mishap. Picture: Kristi Miller

Yesterday, Ms Skinner said a hospital engineer had been stood down over the incident.

She said others could be stood down once a formal ­investigation had been completed, and revealed the gas contractor BOC would no longer work at NSW hospitals.

Ms Skinner also released a damning and long-awaited ­report into the underdosing of 129 cancer patients at St Vincent’s Hospital involving Dr John Grygiel.

“The (St Vincent’s) hospital lied to the public, there’s no doubt about that,” Ms Skinner, who told parliament she only became aware of the matter in February, said.

Dr John Grygiel was accused of underdosing cancer patients at St Vincent’s Hospital. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Most stunningly, she admitted in April an investigation had begun into another doctor, Kiran Phadke, who worked at Sutherland and St George hospitals and was suspended in June.

The review of Dr Phadke, completed last Friday, showed he underdosed three patients — two of whom died. The treatment of another 14 of his patients is being investigated.

The whistle was blown on Dr Phadke’s treatment methods by a nurse after she saw the reports around Dr Grygiel at St Vincent’s Hospital.

Defending her approach to the release of information, the minister said: “I think I have an obligation first and foremost to patients ... I will never reveal anything to the media until I feel confident there’s been proper professional analysis of the patients affected.”

Dr Kiran Phadkes. Picture: Facebook

Opposition Leader Luke Foley yesterday demanded Ms Skinner resign, and called for a special commission of inquiry into the health system.

“(Premier Mike) Baird needs to find a new health minister for his government given she’s incapable of restoring public confidence in the NSW public hospitals system,” Mr Foley said.

“At each step for many months Ms Skinner has put as her first priority representing health administrators.”

Ms Skinner said of the allegations concerning Dr ­Phadke: “Three of Dr Phadke’s patients who had been under treatment for as long as 13 years were considered to have been affected by his treatment choice.

A liquid oxygen tank at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

“Of those three patients, two are deceased and one is receiving ongoing treatment from another haematologist. A further 14 patients’ records have been identified and are undergoing external clinical review.”

Following the resignation of St Vincent’s chief medical officer Brett Gardiner in June, senior sources said yesterday Dr Grygiel would now be sacked “within 48 hours)’’, having been on extended leave since February.

Of the 129 patients ­affected by his underdosing of cancer dugs, 37 have died.

A report on Dr Grygiel’s work at Orange and Bathurst hospitals, expected to turn up more under-treated victims, is due to be completed in September.

The Medical Error ­Action Group has produced documentary evidence that it faxed Ms Skinner in May 25, 2015, raising concerns about the issue.

“I have grave concerns for the welfare of patients being treated in (St Vincent’s) Hospital’s oncology division of medicine,” MEAG founder Lorraine Long wrote.

But Ms Skinner’s office insisted last night it had searched far and wide and found no ­record of Ms Long’s letter.

NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner. Picture: AAP

The final report on the St Vincent’s matter, written by Cancer Institute boss David Currow, said staff challenged Dr Grygiel’s methods as far back as 2005, but accepted his explanations.

St Vincent’s CEO Toby Hall yesterday denied there had been a cover-up.

A report by the Cancer ­Institute NSW found no definitive link between Dr Grygiel’s treatment and the deaths.

Cartoonist Warren Brown’s view.