Health Minister stands by Ramsay’s Joondalup hospital contract extension despite Sandipan Dhar debacle

September 29

The Health Minister has stood by a major extension to Ramsay Health Care’s Joondalup Health Campus contract despite the Sandipan Dhar debacle, insisting it had tougher conditions, as his family heaps on pressure to tear it up.

The one-year-old died of leukaemia at the privately-run public hospital on March 24 — two days after he first presented with a GP referral requesting a blood test.

That test — which would have diagnosed his treatable form of blood cancer — was never performed.

Sandipan’s father, Sanjoy Dhar, has submitted a petition to Parliament entitled “Get Ramsay Health Care out of Western Australia”, calling on the Cook Government to immediately rip up the 15-year contract extension it inked with the ASX-listed operator in March.

Ms Sanderson said the new contract had stronger key performance indicators, “stronger abatement and a greater mechanism for in-reach by the Government”.

“So this is a better contract, and it helps manage performance and issues as they arise from time to time,” Ms Sanderson told reporters on Sunday.

“I’m confident that this contract is the right contract for WA, and it is also in conjunction with a significant expansion of what is a very, very busy (pediatric) department.”

Ms Sanderson flatly rejected calls for a royal commission. Credit: Michael Wilson/The West Australian

She said she had confidence in the ASX-listed company.

“They are a good operator, and from time to time, unfortunately, for various reasons, we have adverse events in the system.

“What is important is that we are transparent about those events and that we learn from those events.

“And that’s exactly what Ramsay is willing to do in this instance.”

Mr Dhar said in the petition that the continuation of the contract “would signify the Government’s endorsement of a healthcare provider that has repeatedly failed in its duty of care to patients”.

“We believe that a provider with such a track record should no longer be entrusted with the operation of any public health service in our state,” he wrote.

The Minister urged Ramsay to adopt all of the recommendations from reviews into the circumstances surrounding Sandipan’s death and other incidents – particularly about parents feeling “genuinely heard” when they voiced concerns about their child’s treatment.

But she flatly rejected calls for a royal commission.

“Royal commissions take years,” she said.

“They take often millions and millions of dollars. They also take up enormous amounts of resources.

“They (the family) want … immediate recommendations and changes, and that’s what we’re doing.”

It was “completely appropriate” local Labor MPs Martin Pritchard and John Quigley had facilitated the petition of their constituent, Ms Sanderson added.

Ms Sanderson said she was in regular contact with the family, working closely with them on changes they wanted to see in the health system, and would continue to support them “for what is an incredibly difficult time”.

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