Post by corsair67 on Dec 11, 2006 10:19:46 GMT 12
This has been pretty big news over here all weekend, and it all sounds very dodgy indeed. The excuses put up by the NSW Govt sound pretty pathetic.
From The Australian.
Doctor anger at chopper deal
Steve Creedy
December 11, 2006.
THE NSW Government is scrambling to find medical specialists for its helicopter rescue operations after 40 doctors decided yesterday they would not work for a Canadian multinational company awarded the contract at the expense of two charity-sponsored services.
Health Minister John Hatzistergos caused a furore on Friday when he announced the Australian subsidiary of Canada's CHC Helicopters had won the contract for the medical rescue service, pushing out the NRMA CareFlight and Westpac Surf Life Saver services from April.
CareFlight doctors said at a meeting in Sydney yesterday the move was indefensible and showed "a cavalier disregard for patient safety". They said it meant replacing CareFlight's 400 years of combined specialist doctor experience with junior doctors taken from already dangerously understaffed hospital emergency departments.
"This is all about doctors' commitment to patient care and safety," said CareFlight medical director Alan Garner.
"These choppers will transport thousands of critically ill and injured patients over the life of the contract. This has to be right from the beginning -- it will be too hard to unravel the mess later."
CareFlight officials, the doctors and the NSW Opposition have called on Premier Morris Iemma to step in. CareFlight wants to discuss a compromise in which CHC provides the helicopters but CareFlight supplies pilots and medical staff.
The Government has argued that four new twin-engine helicopters, to be based in Sydney, Wollongong and Orange, will be bigger, safer and 30 per cent faster than the current aircraft.
It says not all CareFlight doctors are full-time, and helicopters in Sydney and Wollongong are staffed by health service doctors who would not be affected by the decision to use the Canadian company.
Mr Hatzistergos said he would like to see the CareFlight doctors working on the new choppers and would continue to talk to them about their concerns. But he said the ambulance service had contingency plans in place so services would not be affected.
CareFlight spokesman Ian Badham said CareFlight had negotiated production slots to take delivery of the same helicopters that would be used by CHC, and had put on the table $100 million in sponsorship over the next nine years.
"It would appear some bureaucrats in health have conned the minister and the Premier," Mr Badham said.
The NSW Opposition, which has promised to review the contract if elected, said the decision showed how out of touch the Government was with the electorate.
"This is probably one of the dumbest decisions I've seen in relation to the health sector and public health in NSW in a long time," said Opposition health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner.
From The Australian.
Doctor anger at chopper deal
Steve Creedy
December 11, 2006.
THE NSW Government is scrambling to find medical specialists for its helicopter rescue operations after 40 doctors decided yesterday they would not work for a Canadian multinational company awarded the contract at the expense of two charity-sponsored services.
Health Minister John Hatzistergos caused a furore on Friday when he announced the Australian subsidiary of Canada's CHC Helicopters had won the contract for the medical rescue service, pushing out the NRMA CareFlight and Westpac Surf Life Saver services from April.
CareFlight doctors said at a meeting in Sydney yesterday the move was indefensible and showed "a cavalier disregard for patient safety". They said it meant replacing CareFlight's 400 years of combined specialist doctor experience with junior doctors taken from already dangerously understaffed hospital emergency departments.
"This is all about doctors' commitment to patient care and safety," said CareFlight medical director Alan Garner.
"These choppers will transport thousands of critically ill and injured patients over the life of the contract. This has to be right from the beginning -- it will be too hard to unravel the mess later."
CareFlight officials, the doctors and the NSW Opposition have called on Premier Morris Iemma to step in. CareFlight wants to discuss a compromise in which CHC provides the helicopters but CareFlight supplies pilots and medical staff.
The Government has argued that four new twin-engine helicopters, to be based in Sydney, Wollongong and Orange, will be bigger, safer and 30 per cent faster than the current aircraft.
It says not all CareFlight doctors are full-time, and helicopters in Sydney and Wollongong are staffed by health service doctors who would not be affected by the decision to use the Canadian company.
Mr Hatzistergos said he would like to see the CareFlight doctors working on the new choppers and would continue to talk to them about their concerns. But he said the ambulance service had contingency plans in place so services would not be affected.
CareFlight spokesman Ian Badham said CareFlight had negotiated production slots to take delivery of the same helicopters that would be used by CHC, and had put on the table $100 million in sponsorship over the next nine years.
"It would appear some bureaucrats in health have conned the minister and the Premier," Mr Badham said.
The NSW Opposition, which has promised to review the contract if elected, said the decision showed how out of touch the Government was with the electorate.
"This is probably one of the dumbest decisions I've seen in relation to the health sector and public health in NSW in a long time," said Opposition health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner.
