Fed: Hannah Beazley tells her side of hospital story

AAP General News (Australia)
08-25-2001
Fed: Hannah Beazley tells her side of hospital story

SYDNEY, Aug 25 AAP - Opposition Leader Kim Beazley's daughter has defended her father's
decision to use her personal experience at a Perth public hospital in the political realm.

"It has been argued that my father should not have cited my story publicly, that this
is dragging family into realms political," Hannah Beazley told the Sunday Telegraph.

"But as well as being a politician, my father is a person and a member of a family.

"I was glad I could provide him with a first-hand experience of what every Australian
using our public system goes through."

Her father brought the issue into the public eye this week, and has since come under
pressure from the federal government for revealing details of her medical ordeal.

Health Minister Wooldridge described Mr Beazley as despicable and a liar for telling
Labor MPs that his daughter was "turned away" from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital after
presenting at the emergency department with appendicitis in July.

Mr Beazley denied he had ever told Labor caucus Hannah was turned away from the hospital
because of a bed shortage, and blamed the confusion on mistakes at the official caucus
briefing to reporters.

Hannah Beazley said she received "first class treatment" from the emergency ward staff
at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, where she was directed by her GP on July 24,
but that staff were under obvious pressure at the time.

"Frankly, Sir Charles Gairdner is a very good hospital, but on that day and at that
time it was a very busy hospital," she said.

"That's the point; our public hospitals are under stress."

Ms Beazley - who has private health cover - said she transferred for surgery at a private
hospital after being told that there were no beds available at Sir Charles Gairdner on
the day.

The hospital has denied any problems with Ms Beazley's treatment and rejected claims
it could not offer her a bed.

Mr Beazley said he did not regret raising the issue in caucus.

"She entered the hospital and was diagnosed, a theatre was not available for her operation
and she or her mother received advice during the course of the afternoon that it would
be better for her to go to a private hospital for treatment," he said.

"There is no disagreement that there was advice given to her that in the circumstances
if she wanted that operation earlier she ought to go and have it done elsewhere and the
hospital made arrangements for that to happen."

AAP kp/last

KEYWORD: HOSPITALS HANNAH

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