Widow of Professor Alasdair MacDonald unable to get compensation after his death

The late Professor Alasdair MacDonald was a highly respected doctor and hospital administrator. His widow has lost her bid for compensation

The late Professor Alasdair MacDonald who was head of medicine at the Launceston General Hospital. Picture: Supplied.

The widow of a highly respected Tasmanian doctor “subject to relentless 24/7 stress and pressure”, who died of a heart attack on Christmas Day, in 2023, has failed in her bid for compensation.

Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal senior member Lucinda Jack rejected Professor Alasdair MacDonald’s wife’s claim for compensation made in July 2024.

Professor MacDonald, a physician, was director of medicine at the Launceston General Hospital and after his death the acute medical unit at the LGH was named in his honour.

He was described as gentle, kind and compassionate.

The late Professor Alasdair MacDonald who was head of medicine at the Launceston General Hospital. Picture: Supplied.

In an email, the wife’s solicitor advised that he “had managed the largest medical department in the state for ten years with little help”.

“He invariably worked seven days a week and was on call 24 hours a day.

“He had requested for over ten years a deputy and extra staff which was never forthcoming.

“Workloads and clinical demands became increasingly complex over that period.

“[The worker] experienced increasing stress levels being concerned about staff shortages, patient outcomes and patients being discharged early into a community that had limited service provisions.

“He was constantly shielding his medical and nursing staff from the unrealistic pressures in [the hospital], particularly relating to the early discharging of sick patients.

“In short [the worker] was subjected to continuous and unrelenting stress, which persisted outside his normal working hours.

“In addition he had persistent conflict with DoH administrators and bureaucrats. In the end, by which time he was completely overwhelmed by this situation, on 25 December 2023 he suddenly collapsed and died of a fatal heart attack.”

Launceston General Hospital. Picture: Amber Wilson

Chief Executive Hospitals North with the Department of Health, Tasmania, Fiona Lieutier rejected that Professor MacDonald’s death was due to his employment.

A report was presented by cardiologist Dr Roderick Chua that his heart attack “was primarily caused by factors other than his employment”.

“The [the worker] was observed on several occasions by his colleagues prior to his heart attack to be short of breath after relatively mild levels of physical activity which is commonly known to be a manifestation of heart disease,” he said.

“I would be in agreement with the statement that is more likely than not that [the worker’s] heart attack was primarily caused by factors other than his employment.

“A degree of work related stress on its own, in the absence of pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors or cardiovascular disease, is very unlikely to be accepted medically as being significantly or solely responsible for poor cardiovascular outcomes.”

Hospitals North chief executive Fiona Lieutier with one of the new CT Scanning facilities now in place at the Launceston General Hospital. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

Ms Lieutier said Professor MacDonald was not on call between 8.00am on 25 December 2023 and 8.00pm 26 December 2023, which was a period in which his heart attack occurred.

“Prior to his death, [the worker] had not reported any concerns to me over workload, work related stress or any other psychosocial hazards in the workplace,” she said.

“I last saw [the worker] during the week ending 15 December 2023, when he dropped in to my office to let me know that he would be covering the EDMS on-call over the Christmas period and wished me a good Christmas.

“At that time he was chatty, appeared cheerful, and did not complain of any workplace stress.”

Originally published as Widow of Professor Alasdair MacDonald unable to get compensation after his death