The allegations that ultra-sound facilities have been used at Woden Valley Hospital to treat pet dogs have resulted in a justifiable sense of outrage among Canberrans, particularly those on hospital waiting lists.
Initially it seemed that only one case was involved … a case of an animal in suffering with no vet available. That might have been treated with leniency as a one-off lapse of judgment and taste made with good, if misguided, intentions. However, it appears that the practice runs to more than one case. If so it shows an unacceptable contempt for patients who are waiting to use the facilities.
The hospital management must engage in a vigorous inquiry to find out which doctors did ultra-sound on animals and when they were done. They should certainly be made to pay for the use of the equipment. As the Opposition spokesman on health, Wayne Berry, has pointed out, issues of medical ethics, infection control and whether ancillary staff were used must be resolved. The hospital management must take steps to ensure there is no recurrence and to put all doctors on notice that misuse of expensive hospital treatment will result in denial of future access to it.
Until this is done, there will be nagging questions about whether other aspects of hospital management are failing in an equally dramatic way.