Mrs HICKEY - 1996-05-22
Yesterday, under pressure, he tabled excerpts from an extraordinary document that details one failing after another in the Country Liberal Party administration's provision of health services for Territorians. He tried subsequently to play down this issue, but he has many questions to answer on the contents of this report. I offer the House an example, quoted from this document which was written in 1995:
Much base data is either inaccurately recorded, incomplete or inaccessible, resulting in service
deficiencies such as serious, and sometimes fatal, incorrect diagnoses and errors in treatment.
In other words, because this administration is in such a state of disarray, Territorians may have died. How long was the government aware that its health system was so inadequate, and that incorrect, and sometimes fatal, diagnoses were made as a result of the inadequacy of its technology? How many people died or are suffering from undiagnosed incurable illnesses because of this bungling?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, for a start, members ought to be aware that there was no pressure to table the document yesterday. It was done voluntarily, without any prompting, because there was absolutely nothing to hide. In fact, when looking at banner headlines such as 'Health Errors Lead to NT Deaths', in today's paper, one would have to say the whole report is alarmist. It is alarmist because it was based on a deliberate misinterpretation by the journalist who wrote it, Debbie Grimwade, who spoke to me last week about this matter. It was clarified for her. The piece she was referring to could easily have been misinterpreted. In fact, it was totally incorrect.
Clarification from the department indicated that, in relation to the Pap smear results in Katherine that were referred to in that section of the report, it was difficult to track down the 2 people who were the subject of abnormal Pap smear results. As I said in a radio interview yesterday afternoon, they were difficult to track down because, in that particular area of the department, there was reliance on manually-kept records - a stack of cards. Nevertheless, those 2 people were tracked down. Obviously, it took longer than it would under the new system. Fortunately, there was absolutely no negative outcome from that. That was made clear to the journalist.
One of the reasons I tabled the report is the handwriting on the front. When he returns to the House, perhaps the member for MacDonnell may be able to clarify whether it is his handwriting or not. I bring him into this because, as members might recall, he raised this issue at the last sittings. After an exhaustive inquiry, officers of the department were unable to find anything that resembled the outrageous claims made. The claims now are that deaths occurred. That is totally untrue. I wrote back to the member and asked for more information, even in confidence, that there were people who had suffered as a consequence. I acknowledge that, yesterday, I did attribute allegations of deaths to the member. That was incorrect. The
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journalist who used the words, 'and people have died as a result', was responsible for the untruth.
In early 1995, under the former minister, the government allocated $2m in additional funds to investigate implementing an appropriate information technology system - one that would be state-of-the-art. Last December, the outcomes of that investigation were put to Cabinet and we immediately allocated another $14m over 3 years. We did not wait for the budget process; it was allocated forthwith. Immediately, officers were implementing this multimillion-dollar upgrade of the information technology system. That was explained to the journalist. I am not sure whether she is still carrying the baggage of her former employer, Warren Snowdon. This type of mischievous reporting was attempted also by an Alice Springs radio journalist yesterday. However, he came a cropper because he simply could not maintain the conversation when it came to the facts.
It is an excellent system. I commend the department for its rapid implementation of a new system that will not only help patients by providing an appropriate method of tracking their health records - and members are aware that patients move from the bush to town, from hospital to hospital - but will also help the department to intercept some generalised problems that might crop up in particular communities and among particular groups of people. I think members opposite should be complimenting the government on its immediate action on this matter, and its all-up commitment of about $16m.
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Much base data is either inaccurately recorded, incomplete or inaccessible, resulting in service
deficiencies such as serious, and sometimes fatal, incorrect diagnoses and errors in treatment.
In other words, because this administration is in such a state of disarray, Territorians may have died. How long was the government aware that its health system was so inadequate, and that incorrect, and sometimes fatal, diagnoses were made as a result of the inadequacy of its technology? How many people died or are suffering from undiagnosed incurable illnesses because of this bungling?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, for a start, members ought to be aware that there was no pressure to table the document yesterday. It was done voluntarily, without any prompting, because there was absolutely nothing to hide. In fact, when looking at banner headlines such as 'Health Errors Lead to NT Deaths', in today's paper, one would have to say the whole report is alarmist. It is alarmist because it was based on a deliberate misinterpretation by the journalist who wrote it, Debbie Grimwade, who spoke to me last week about this matter. It was clarified for her. The piece she was referring to could easily have been misinterpreted. In fact, it was totally incorrect.
Clarification from the department indicated that, in relation to the Pap smear results in Katherine that were referred to in that section of the report, it was difficult to track down the 2 people who were the subject of abnormal Pap smear results. As I said in a radio interview yesterday afternoon, they were difficult to track down because, in that particular area of the department, there was reliance on manually-kept records - a stack of cards. Nevertheless, those 2 people were tracked down. Obviously, it took longer than it would under the new system. Fortunately, there was absolutely no negative outcome from that. That was made clear to the journalist.
One of the reasons I tabled the report is the handwriting on the front. When he returns to the House, perhaps the member for MacDonnell may be able to clarify whether it is his handwriting or not. I bring him into this because, as members might recall, he raised this issue at the last sittings. After an exhaustive inquiry, officers of the department were unable to find anything that resembled the outrageous claims made. The claims now are that deaths occurred. That is totally untrue. I wrote back to the member and asked for more information, even in confidence, that there were people who had suffered as a consequence. I acknowledge that, yesterday, I did attribute allegations of deaths to the member. That was incorrect. The
Page 1399
journalist who used the words, 'and people have died as a result', was responsible for the untruth.
In early 1995, under the former minister, the government allocated $2m in additional funds to investigate implementing an appropriate information technology system - one that would be state-of-the-art. Last December, the outcomes of that investigation were put to Cabinet and we immediately allocated another $14m over 3 years. We did not wait for the budget process; it was allocated forthwith. Immediately, officers were implementing this multimillion-dollar upgrade of the information technology system. That was explained to the journalist. I am not sure whether she is still carrying the baggage of her former employer, Warren Snowdon. This type of mischievous reporting was attempted also by an Alice Springs radio journalist yesterday. However, he came a cropper because he simply could not maintain the conversation when it came to the facts.
It is an excellent system. I commend the department for its rapid implementation of a new system that will not only help patients by providing an appropriate method of tracking their health records - and members are aware that patients move from the bush to town, from hospital to hospital - but will also help the department to intercept some generalised problems that might crop up in particular communities and among particular groups of people. I think members opposite should be complimenting the government on its immediate action on this matter, and its all-up commitment of about $16m.
Page 1400
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016