Hospital patients in Canberra's north are missing out on vital medical services as the city's second hospital and the ACT government squabble over money.
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The bad blood between Calvary Hospital and the ACT government has reached a point where one side has been prepared to call in professional mediators to allow the hospital's owners and the territory's health authority to talk to each other.
But Calvary's owners, the Little Company of Mary, says it has not officially triggered the mediation clause in its service agreement with the ACT government.
Medical insiders fear that patient care will be the big loser, with the north side hospital's owners so concerned they have gone over the heads of ACT Health to appeal directly to Chief Minister Andrew Barr to intervene.
The bad blood between the two outfits has caused such dysfunction that Calvary's performance plan for 2016-2017 has still not been finalised and the hospital's departments are in the dark on their annual budgets, nearly three months into the financial year.
The Canberra Times understands that senior leadership at ACT Health, which denies any dispute with Calvary, has been "playing hardball" with LCM over Calvary's performance and budgets in the wake of a shock Auditor-General's report, published in April, revealing falsification of financial statements and financial irregularities of up to $9 million at the hospital.
A Calvary spokesman said the mediation clause had not been invoked and that "Calvary continues to work with ACT Health to meet the needs of the community of the ACT and in particular the north side of Canberra."
An ACT Health spokeswoman denied there was any dispute at all, saying "ACT Health values the relationship we have with Calvary and recognises the important health services Calvary Public Hospital provides to the Canberra community."
But ACT Visiting Medical Officers Association president Peter Hughes said funding disparities between the two hospitals, which Calvary was working to address, were having a real impact on patients' lives.
"Residents living on the north side of town are missing out on the services," Dr Hughes said.
"The respiratory part of it is a glaring deficiency, especially the lack of bronchoscopy service.
"It is a major thing that one would expect to be available, the respiratory service is very important – especially given the growing elderly population and expanding area.
"With the current deficiencies, it means patients have to travel to TCH for these services, and we feel that [Calvary] as a major acute hospital, these services should be available.
"We are sending this message to all political parties, to whoever the incoming government is, they should correct this glaring deficiency of providing the appropriate level of services at Calvary Hospital."
Dr Hughes said he was aware that Calvary had been working for some time to address the funding disparity.
"They're aware of these deficiencies and have been for some years seeking the funding to provide them – they're well aware," he said.
The Chief Minister said his party was fully supportive of Cavalry and of the hospital continuing to play an important role in the territory's health service, citing the recent $15 million election promise as evidence.
"We understand there are ongoing negotiations between Calvary and ACT Health about how we collectively deliver the best health services to Canberrans," Mr Barr said in a statement.
"We are confident that an agreement is within reach."
