The Queensland government has sacked nine internal medicine practitioners after a report into a workplace scandal revealed misconduct by six.
The Queensland Health Department said it had not yet made a decision on the dismissal of the five doctors involved.
The nine doctors were working in a hospital in the northern city of Brisbane and were sacked after it was revealed their conduct did not meet acceptable standards of conduct.
The health department has launched an investigation into how the nine doctors’ conduct was discovered and the way the Queensland Health Service dealt with it.
“The Queensland Health Health Department will not tolerate any type of misconduct in any of its workplaces and will act swiftly and decisively to ensure that no further misconduct takes place in the future,” Health Minister Dr Stephen Jones said in a statement.
“In light of the significant consequences for patients and Queensland, I want to thank the Queensland Department of Health for taking action against these individuals.”
Health Department says investigation is underway The Queensland Department for Health and Primary Industries (QHDI) said it was launching an investigation.
“We are conducting an internal review of our internal processes,” the QHDI said in the statement.
The department said the investigation had been started by the Queensland Coroners Service and the State Government.
“This is the first step in our investigation and we are currently gathering evidence and speaking with individuals involved to determine the facts,” the statement said.
It said it would be providing more information about the investigation as it became available.
The QHDi said it believed the investigation was ongoing and the department would provide more details when they became available and “the Queensland Coroner’s Office is the appropriate agency to make inquiries”.
It also confirmed the nine Queensland doctors were all on medical leave and it was not yet clear whether they would face any disciplinary action.
In an interview with the ABC, one of the Queensland doctors, Dr Mark Thomas, said he was shocked by the news.
“I was surprised to see it,” he said.
“It’s very concerning.
The health ministry said the nine members of the staff were on leave, had not been paid and were “unable to provide professional services to patients”. “
To me, it’s a shock to the system.”
The health ministry said the nine members of the staff were on leave, had not been paid and were “unable to provide professional services to patients”.
The Queensland Government has confirmed it has suspended all seven members of staff involved in the scandal.
The state government has also apologised to its patients and patients’ organisations, including hospitals, health services and the Queensland Cancer Society, after they were sacked.
QHDIs internal affairs office says it is investigating Queensland Health department for misconduct report “QHDIs external affairs office has undertaken an internal investigation and will now be investigating the QHSI,” a statement from the department read.
“QHSI has apologised to patients, organisations and QHD members.”
The Queensland Cancer and Palliative Care Society also apologised.
“Our sincere apologies for the disappointment and frustration caused by the incident,” it said.
Queensland Health Minister Stephen Jones says he has no plans to suspend or fire anyone.
The Health Department’s internal affairs team has investigated the nine internal medical staff involved, including one Queensland doctor, and the state has suspended the Queensland Police and Crime Commission from carrying out investigations.
“What we want to do is ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice,” the health minister said.
In a statement, the Queensland Government said it has not yet determined what disciplinary action would be taken.
“As with any investigation, there will be no further comment until we have had an opportunity to fully understand the findings of the investigation,” it read.
The investigation was sparked by an ABC investigation which showed that some Queensland hospitals had been misusing Medicare payments.
The ABC’s Queensland program uncovered a practice at the University of Queensland that used the Medicare Payment Scheme (MPS) to pay doctors and staff to perform unnecessary tests.
The MPS is a system where health workers pay for tests that may or may not be necessary, but are not covered by Medicare.
The hospital was also using Medicare to pay for the work of doctors and nurses who did not have proper training, and for staff to take part in tests which did not involve patient care.
The report also revealed that in 2014, one Brisbane hospital used Medicare to cover the work done by doctors in the ICU.
The scandal was uncovered by a series of stories in the Queensland Daily Mail, including a story about a hospital which used the MPS to cover unnecessary tests by staff.
“Queensland’s medical system is under severe pressure to improve standards of care and meet the needs of patients, particularly older people and those with chronic illnesses,” Dr John McCrory, the head of the Victorian chapter of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said in an emailed statement.
He said the findings showed that a system of payment for tests was not only unnecessary, but potentially illegal.
“If we are going to be able to address these issues in the health system, we must