6th November 2002
PRESS RELEASE 6 Nov 02
MEDIA CONTACT :-
_____ _______
Patient Injury Support & Advocacy
Ph _______
Email __________
Medical Victims Demand Immediate Government Action
"Our Governments are making more tax dollars out of medical error than they do out of gambling ."
A national patients group comprised of victims of avoidable medical injury called upon the State and Federal Governments today to meet with them to discuss an immediate plan of action to reduce Australia's shameful global position as " worst country in the world " for health system inflicted injuries .
" In its latest World Health Report, the WHO pinpoints what it calls the " alarmingly high" risks posed to patients in Australian hospitals and other health care institutions.
According to the report, almost 17% of patients suffer " measurable " harm while undergoing unrelated treatment in health care facilities .
That figure is well ahead of the next-highest nations on the list - the United Kingdom and Denmark - where the risk is assessed at 10 per cent, and the United States where the risk factor is less than 4 per cent. "
Dr Barry Catchlove , Chairman of Healthcare Risk Resources International , and former CEO of the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne states , "If you look at the total number of admissions to Australian hospitals in a year, and you use the figure that's quoted in the report of over 16 per cent, you're looking at approximately 1 million adversities a year."
Patient Injury Support & Advocacy , a national group comprised of medically injured victims , today challenged the Governments to accept responsibility for Australia's " third world health statistics " , and to meet for discussions with the group's managers in a bid to reduce the 18,000 deaths , 50,000 permanent disabilities , and all other avoidable medical injuries that are suffered by Australian patients every year .
National spokesperson for the Group , ______ , said today , " There is little incentive for our Governments to address this humanitarian issue , they are generating more tax dollars out of medical error than they do out of gambling ." She said .
" There is little profit to be made out of a patient who recovers uneventfully . But a patient who is seriously injured within the health system generates big money ."
"Tax dollars are generated from every ongoing medical procedure , prescription ,consultation , surgery , rural travel , accomodation , and often rehabilitative , and psychological , requirement .
Every doctor , pathologist , radiologist , therapist and pharmacist that the victim needs to see for ongoing repairs , medication , and medical treatment adds tax dollars to the Governments' windfall . Then there are further hospitalisations , or funerals , generating more taxes .
If a victim decides to litigate , to recover some of their medical costs , there are large tax dollars collected from their lawyers , expert witnesses , court documents, and specialist medical reports .
And then , there are also the defendant's taxes ; and taxes from his medical Union or Association ; big tax dollars from his insurers , plus all of the legal defense team's taxes , their expert witnesses and their specialist medical reports . If a settlement is achieved , the government recoups through the HIC , Medicare levies , and through reclaiming social security payments .
Gambling revenue is peanuts by comparison . " Ms ____ said .
" We victims are the collective voice of medical injury experience , we have noted the system failures and inadequacies firsthand . We have constructive and postive ideas on how to turn the problem of avoidable medical injury around for all future Australian patients . All we want is a genuine hearing from those who currently benefit the most from our adverse circumstances ."
According to research carried out on health system inflicted or iatrogenic injuries , it is five per cent of all doctors who perpetrate ninety nine per cent of all errors .
" One initiative we want our Governments to implement , is to remove that offending 5 per cent from patient contact . We want this group of underperforming doctors placed into other areas of medicine such as academic , research , or administrative medicine until they are independently assessed to be adequately skilled , rehabilitated , and competent ."
"We want mandatory random drug testing for doctors . It has been reported that 60 per cent of all doctors reported for discipline due to medical errors are drug and/or alcohol impaired . In any other industry random drug tests are used as an accepted means of safety control . However , in medicine , an occupation which has easy access to prohibited substances , no such control exists .
Medical Boards are self -regulated , and doctors are expected to report themselves for substance abuse . Unfortunately , this just does not happen .
Usually impaired doctors are reported to their Boards by colleagues or pharmacists . The Boards then subject these physicians to routine urine testing on 24 hours notice at random intervals . These tests have been proven to be easily cheated .
However these substance impaired doctors are STILL permitted to remain in clinical practice unless serious criminal charges have also been laid .
The Medical Boards have a policy of legislated secrecy which does not allow a patient to request the information as to whether their doctor is impaired or under Board monitoring .
Neither are patients able to be informed at any time as to whether their doctor has had previous judgements or settlements awarded against them for medical negligence . This completely betrays a patient's right to make a fully informed choice of treating physician for themselves or their children .
As well as excluding substance impaired doctors from patient contact , we feel that all doctors who are under psychiatric treatment should also be excluded from patient contact pending independently assessed , full rehabilitation .
In addition , the percentage of doctors who are known within the medical insurance industry as " frequent flyers " because of repeated claims against their indemnity policies for negligence , must be removed from patient contact and made to ascribe to intensive re-training to bring them up to adequate clinical standards .
Substance free and competent is a universal standard of employment expected in every other field of work except medicine."
The group are also asking the Government to abolish HECS repayments for students of medicine and nursing who undertake an agreed post-graduate , term of service in a rural area ; and for a dedicated recruitment drive to bring new doctors and nurses into the professions.
"And we want money spent on comprehensive patient safety initiatives . So much can be done at minimal cost to improve the current quality of our health service to patients .
Only by addressing the issue of medical error at it's root cause can we eventually relieve the current indemnity crisis." Ms___ said .
" The statistics given by the World Health Organisation show , once and for all , that the cause of the current indemnity crisis lies not with the so-called 'litigious patients ' nor with any unprecedented ' surge of litigation ' , but with that five percentage of health care professionals who are not providing an adequate standard of skill . "
Patient Injury Support & Advocacy are calling upon all Australians who have been directly , or indirectly , affected by medical error to make contact by Phone on _____ or email at messup@optusnet.com.au as a gesture of patient solidarity and support .
