YOUR BUREAUCRACY WILL PROTECT YOU

In reality, nobody gives a damn -- ever AFTER negligence is discovered

Campbelltown Hospital, in Sydney's southwest, was forced to apologise yesterday to a patient who became seriously ill when a gauze pack was left inside her after the birth of her first child. First-time mother Kellie Van Gool gave birth to her daughter in January, but for days afterwards experienced pain so intense she was unable to sit down. She developed an infection and after further investigation, doctors found the surgical gauze pack was left inside her.

Mrs Van Gool and her husband Wally yesterday lodged a formal complaint with the Health Care Complaints Commission. NSW Minister for Health Morris Iemma said safety procedures at Campbelltown Hospital had changed since the incident. "Dr David Saxton, head of obstetrics at Campbelltown Hospital, has today advised me that as a result of the experience of Ms Kellie Van Gool at Campbelltown Hospital on January 7 this year, the hospital has reviewed its surgical equipment counting practices and changes have been made to prevent a repeat of this incident," Mr Iemma said. "Mrs Van Gool's poor experience appears to have been made worse by difficulty in presenting a complaint to the hospital. However I am advised that hospital did meet with Mrs Van Gool on January 14. "If the complaint process has let the patient down, then I am determined to ensure that the process is improved."

Details of the incident come two years after nurses at Campbelltown and Camden hospitals first went public with allegations that mistakes and sub-standard care had caused patient deaths at the hospitals. However, the hospital said yesterday that full disclosure was made to Mrs Van Gool at the time the gauze was discovered. "It appears now that we have had a breakdown in communication and we would like to apologise again," Dr Saxton said.

Opposition Leader John Brogden said disciplinary action should be taken against the hospital's then acting general manager, who he claims failed to contact Mrs Van Gool despite her calling three times to lodge a complaint. "Joanne Fisher needs to explain why she refused to contact Kellie and she also needs to unreservedly apologise... Despite the rhetoric being peddled by the Government that things are getting better in the South Western Area Health Service, Kellie Van Gool's experience proves nothing has changed."

Source




MORE ON THE FLU VACCINE SHORTAGE

I have received the following email but have not been able to confirm its accuracy:


Almost half of the nation's flu vaccine will not be delivered this year. Chiron, a major manufacturer of flu vaccine, will not be distributing any influenza vaccine this flu season. Chiron was to make 46-48 million doses vaccine for the United States. Chiron is a British company. Recently British health officials stopped Chiron from distributing and making the vaccine when inspectors found unsanitary conditions in the labs. Some lots of the vaccine were recalled and destroyed.

The major pharmaceutical companies in the US provided almost 90% of the nations flu vaccine at one time. They did this despite a very low profit margin for the product. Basically, they were doing us a favor.

In the late 80's a man from North Carolina who had received the vaccine got the flu. The strain he caught was one of the strains in that years vaccine made by a US company. What did he do? He sued and he won. He was awarded almost $5 million! After that case was appealed and lost, most US pharmaceutical companies stopped making the vaccine. The liability out weighed the profit margin. Since UK and Canadian laws prohibit such frivolous law suits UK and Canadian companies began selling the vaccine in the US.

By the way...the lawyer that represented the man in the flu shot law suit was a young ambulance chaser by the name of John Edwards.

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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL hospitals and health insurance schemes should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the very poor and minimal regulation.

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