The Wire

An internal report into hospitals in Sydney’s west has revealed 61 avoidable deaths. The revelations come at a time when NSW hospitals are under scrutiny over their performance. An obstetrician banned in 1997 from practicing due to patient negligence was re-hired in 2002, because the health department failed to do the required checks on his background. And a Special Commission of Inquiry into Acute Care Services was set up to investigate NSW public hospitals, after a woman miscarried in a toilet at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital. Despite all the bad publicity, Professor Steven Boyages from the Sydney West Area Health Service says that there is nothing to be concerned about.