Did Health Minister Kon Vatskalis mislead the Legislative Assembly when he was asked by Alison Anderson to explain why Adelaide based visiting gynaecological oncologist, Professor Margaret Davy, had been unceremoniously informed her services were no longer required at the Royal Darwin Hospital after serving the Territory for 20 years? The minister’s statement was called into question when ABC morning radio presenter Julia Christensen interviewed Professor Davy and her explanation of the episode was at variance with that given by the minister and the Health Department. Professor Davy said she had " visited" the minister after his erroneous statement to the Assembly to put him right . In her words, he had "seemed surprised ". She had informed him that nobody from RDH contacted her verbally, there had been a letter of termination and no arrangement had been made for her to make further trips to the Territory this year.
Ms Christensen twice asked if the Health Minister had misled parliament . Responding, Professor Davy said it was probably more a case of the minister being misled by his bureaucrats. (On the other hand, Little Darwin knows for fact that he was handed a copy of Professor Davy's, polite but indignant letter to patients ,explaining the situation. As well,he received calls from angry patients and family members. If he did not realise that the subsequent statement he made in the Assembly did not accord with the facts , dare we say the product of mindless spin, then he and his advisers would appear not to have a grip on the important portfolio )
In the September Country Liberals newsletter stronger language is being used to describe the performance of the Health Minister and the Department of Health over the treatment of Professor Davy. It refers to the “usual secrecy and incompetence “ of the two.
The odds are that there will be a move for a vote of no confidence in the Health Minister at the next sitting of the Legislative Assembly over the Professor Davy issue and other shortcomings in the health system . The failure to solve the Wallaby problem at Tindal RAAF base to clear the way for the aerial medical service has Canberra , the Australian Defence Force , medicos and Katherine residents up in arms .
Minister Vatskalis seems to be threatening prompt and drastic action to solve the deadly serious problem at Tindal . And just this morning , kingmaker Gerry Wood was on the ABC expressing concern about the way the new radiation oncology unit will be run at RDH, which may have made members of the Henderson Government feel unwell, longing for an opiate to ease the pain . Health could bring down the shaky ALP government unless somebody really gets on top of the department . With respect, Minister Vatskalis is not the man for the health portfolio.
The NT News on September l8 raised the fact that RDH had not advertised for a new general manager to replace Dr Len Notaras ,despite announcing he was stepping down six months ago. Now the advertisement for his position is not expected to be placed until next year. On April 17, Minister Vatskalis said Dr Notaras and Health Department Chief David Ashbridge -two of the "three kings "- would be moved . The process for recruiting a new general manager would "begin immediately", he said at the time. Now there is a different story, a different timeline . Incidently , Minister Vatskalis was not available to be interviewed by Julia Christensen nor could anybody front for a Stateline interview about the aero medical trouble at Tindal .
