Hospital CEO claims health department attempted to gag him

The CEO of a regional Victorian hospital says the state government has ordered the removal a social media video calling for desperately-needed emergency room and intensive care upgrades.

In the video posted on Facebook by the Western District Health Service, Hamilton Base Hospital staff describe the hospital’s emergency room as “horrendous”.

• Scroll down to watch the video

The Health Department has told the hospital the video is in breach of the pre-caretaker period rules, but neither Western District Health Service, nor Neil Mitchell’s team, believe this is correct.

CEO of the Western District Health Service, Rohan Fitzgerald, who is a former Liberal candidate for Gippsland, says the upgrades are urgently needed and the Health Department isn’t listening.

“Our ED is no bigger than a tin can — it is tiny — it needs to change,” he told Neil Mitchell.

“We’ve submitted a business case to cabinet earlier this year — unfortunately that was knocked back. We’ve submitted a number of funding grant opportunities into government as well  — I think four or five — they’ve all been knocked back. More recently, we’ve written to the Minister of Health twice in the last three or four months.

“We haven’t even been dignified with a response.”

Press PLAY below to hear why the Western District Health Service CEO is willing to put his job on the line

Western District Health Service is requesting $17 million from the state government and will tip in $15 million for a new emergency department and intensive care unit.

Mr Fitzgerald is putting his job on the line to fight for the upgrades.

“If people tell their stories and there’s consequences for that, well so be it,” he said. “My team deserve to have a chief executive that is willing to go into bat for them and do hard things.”

A government spokesperson confirmed the Health Department asked for the video be removed “due to concerns it could breach caretaker guidelines”. Neither the office of Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, nor the Premier’s office, issued a directive requesting the video be taken down.

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Image: Western District Health Service