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Health Ministers indifference jeopardises public health in Victoria
Victorian doctors may be forced to reconsider their position in public hospitals following Health Minister Bronwen Pike’s rejection of negligence reform in regards to professional standards of care.
Minister Pike has steadfastly refused to hear the concerns of Victorian doctors that suggest without a return to the Bolam principle, the deterioration of the public hospital system in Victoria will continue rapidly.
AMA Victoria President Dr Sam Lees said it was almost unthinkable that the Minister Pike was showing such a blatant disregard for the practitioners of health in this state.
“We have a situation where Victorian doctors were promised a certain level of security to practise in public hospitals and now Minister Pike seems decidedly disinterested in delivering that promise”
“In the last month we have seen public hospitals in NSW and Queensland threatened by Federal Government inaction.”
“In Victoria we have continued working hard in the good faith that the State Government would fulfil its promise to ensure the public health of all Victorian’s through a fairer system by which to judge medical negligence.”
AMA Vice-President Dr Chris Merry said it was becoming harder and harder to work in a public system already under enormous stress.
“Doctors are the last people that would ever leave their posts at a public hospital. A passion for caring for people is why we all got into this career in the first place.”
“However we are very quickly approaching crisis levels in this state where Government inaction has meant we can no longer guarantee services will not be compromised.”
Dr Lees said the sole purpose of peer review and a return to the Bolam principle was to improve quality and effectiveness of the services doctors provide to their patients in hospitals.
“Doctors, despite recent and completely ill-informed comments regarding hip pocket greediness have always maintained the singular goal of a high-quality, equitable and sustainable public health system.”
“If Minister Pike cannot share this basic goal with us and recognise the vast problem waiting to erupt should medical negligence not be fixed then unfortunately the time has come to ask some questions about her capabilities in the Health portfolio.”
Victorian Medical Directory
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