<< back to archive index Date: 1st April The Power Of One A slightly less noticed feature of the various inquiries into Campbelltown hospitals and the NSW health system has been the power of the individuals. While health ministers fiddle with budgets and try to shift costs from State to Federal or vice-versa, two women have been the movers and shakers of the demand for better accountability in health in NSW and arguably in Australia. Fiona Tito, was chair of the Federal Health Dept's Professional Indemnity Review in 1994. She found that there were 18,000 preventable deaths in Australian hospitals annually, and about half a million events that adversely affected patients. She was dismissed before the report was published in the Medical Journal of Australia. The quality of her work was accepted, and various committees on quality strove mightily, but the effects were somewhat patchy and the culture of health generally did not change much. Years later, a Campbelltown nurse, Nola Fraser, working as a hospital supervisor noticed a number of deaths and sub optimal management. She went to her managers and the Critical Care Committee, which was supposed to deal with these issues. She was rebuffed and not much was done. She went to the Health Care Complaints Commission, who referred it back to the administration who had not helped. Eventually, losing faith in the system, she kept her own records of the poor case management and went to the then Health Minister, Craig Knowles. An investigation was initiated, but she was still effectively drummed out of the Health system, like Tito before her. The media picked up the story, but interestingly, on the Sunday programme, one of the defences against the Fraser allegations was that 'Campbelltown is no worse than many other hospitals'. That, of course is the point. It is not satisfactory, and it is all through the system. But if change can be achieved, it will be largely through the efforts of these two courageous women. And one of the other changes that need to be achieved is to make it possible to achieve these sorts of changes without a career sacrifice! A couple of postscripts might be mentioned. I asked the NSW government for a judicial inquiry into Campbelltown and Camden hospitals, as the issue was too detailed for a Parliamentary one. They did not want any more inquiries. I put a motion for a Parliamentary inquiry, and got support from the cross bench and Opposition. When I told the government that they would have a Parliamentary inquiry imposed on them, they spoke to Bret Walker SC and set up his judicial inquiry. (See my submission to the Walker inquiry). I have also requested many of the key witnesses for the GPSC2 inquiry and asked the important questions that get answered on TV. Again the power of one! And if this situation of cover up were thought to be anything other than standard operating procedure in Australia, consider the Federal government and its intelligence agencies, where the courage of couple of men, Andrew Wilkie and Lance Collins, have been needed to stop political spin and lies putting all Australians at risk. Individual power is great, but it really is time for accountable (open) government.

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updated: June 7, 2004