Sandipan Dhar’s father frustrated by health sector response in quest for justice
His latest frustration stems from what he believes is a lack of political will for the upper house committee to take action on the serious problems he has personally experienced with the hospital system.
“The parliamentary committee has a unique ability to delve into complex issues and we believed this process would help identify opportunities for improvement and provide constructive recommendations to strengthen the system for the future,” he said.
He submitted two petitions to the upper house’s Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs in November 2024, urging them to look at patient safety after the Ramsay Healthcare Joondalup Health Campus public hospital contract, as well as the hospital’s responsibility and experience.
The initial petition regarding hospital transparency was deemed closed when the committee reached out to North Metro Health Service and sent back a vague letter explaining how it handles patient deaths.
Dhar was not satisfied with this answer.
“From our perspective, the real issue has never been about documenting the policy, but rather about how the policies work in practice and whether they provide adequate reassurance to families when serious incidents occur,” he said.
In Dhar’s second petition regarding Ramsay Healthcare, he also received a letter from NMHS detailing the checks and balances in the public-private partnership signed between Ramsay and the government.
This petition has not yet been officially closed, but it is unlikely to result in a formal investigation.
“We were surprised to receive no further communication regarding this matter.” [the Ramsay petition] especially considering it has been almost a year since concerns were first raised,” Dhar said.
“Given the seriousness of the issues involved, we expected at least some update on how the committee plans to proceed.
“Ultimately, what we want to see is a system that gives families confidence that serious incidents are thoroughly, independently investigated and there is a clear focus on learning and development.”
Dhar is expected to meet with Health Minister Meredith Hammat soon to raise the petitions.
“When the petitions were accepted, our expectation was that the issue would be examined through a comprehensive Parliamentary investigation,” he said.
“We believed the committee would consider not only our individual experiences, but also whether there are systemic issues within the healthcare system that impact patient safety, clinical management, and accountability.
“Our intention has never been to attack individuals or institutions; our hope is that raising concerns through the Western Australian Parliament will lead to real scrutiny, meaningful reforms and stronger confidence in the health system.”
The committee was approached for comment but did not respond before deadline.
Hamish Hastie is WAtoday’s state political correspondent and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Award for best political journalism.Connect with: X or email.
