Widespread cover-ups of treatment failures
The Health Quality and Safety Commission's recent call for surgical data to be publicly reported is strangely at
variance with the secrecy recently experienced by the Democrats' health spokesman David Tranter in a series of exchanges
with the Commission’s CEO, Dr. Janice Wilson.
Mr. Tranter's initial enquiry concerned the call by Canadian surgeon Teodor Grantcherov for the surgery equivalent of
aircraft black boxes to be placed in operating theatres to enable more effective recording of what happens during
operations. Dr. Wilson replied that they were not interested which is clearly at variance with their expressed concern
over "surgical performance and other health care outcomes".
The Democrats also point to the Commission's refusal to say how their numerous "consumer representatives" may be
contacted. According to the Commission’s statement, recent consultations did include "consumers". But if the general
public doesn’t know who, or where, their representatives are how can they have input into the Commission's consultation
processes?
“Dr. Wilson said that the Commission does not consider "individual" cases. So how can any realistic picture be built up
if the individuals who make up the survey population are not considered?
“Given that one of the major barriers to improving DHB treatment efficiency is the widespread evasion and frustration of
patient/family complaints when treatment goes seriously wrong it is the height of hypocrisy for this lavishly-resourced
organisation ($13 million plus annual budget) to be preaching about transparency and improving surgical performance,”
Mr. Tranter said.
“By so doing the Commission joins what is in effect a widespread cover-up of treatment failures connived in by DHBs, the
Health and Disability Commissioner, the Coronial system and, not least, successive Ministers of Health.
“Given that when I last raised such issues with every MP only 7 out of 121 acknowledged my letter, and only one of them
made any sort of thoughtful comment, it seems reasonable to include Parliament in the great treatment failure cover-up”
Mr. Tranter concluded.
ENDS