Queensland Health has revealed at least a dozen lives may have been cut short due to substandard patient care at Redland Hospital.
The bombshell admission follows a review into more than 3000 patients who had bowel-related procedures at the hospital from 2008.
It found the care of at least 73 patients fell below an accepted standard, including delays in cancer diagnoses.
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“The clinical analysis of these 73 patients has identified 12 people who may have lived longer if their care had been of the acceptable standard,” Queensland Health’s director-general Michael Walsh said.
The number of Queenslanders whose lives were cut short could still rise.
The patients were all seen by two doctors who no longer work at Queensland Health.
Walsh issued an apology to the patients and their families.
“I would like to offer my sincere apologies to the patients and their families,” he said.
“It is clear that the health system let these people down.”
Compensation claims are expected to arise and run into the tens of millions of dollars.
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“We are expecting there will be compensation claims and will endeavour to ensure any claim made is expedited where possible,” Walsh said.
“This includes ensuring any statute of limitation issues are not a barrier.”
Metro South Health is in the process of contacting affected families who have waited more than four years for this report.
Walsh today revealed Queensland Health has had the report for about four weeks.
Sources have told 9News some staffers at Queensland Health had been hoping to delay its release until after the state election.
But Walsh has denied withholding it.
“We’ve done that as fast as we can and the election has nothing to do with this,” he said.
The report made 22 recommendations, all of which Queensland Health has accepted.
Queensland Health has said 75 per cent of the recommendations have already been implemented.
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