Oz whistleblower seeks $400,000 compensation for exposing surgeon's deadly malpractice

Canberra, Dec 16(ANI): An Australian whistleblower, who exposed a surgeon's malpractice, which led to three deaths, has sought 400,000 dollars as compensation for suffering injuries and loss of income.

Toni Hoffman had exposed the deaths of patients, who were treated at Bundaberg Hospital by a surgeon, Jayant Patel in 2006.

Patel was subsequently sentenced to seven years imprisonment after being convicted of three deaths and the grievous bodily harm of one person.

Hoffman has filed a petition in the District Court demanding compensation from Queensland Health saying that she had undergone tremendous stress in exposing Patel's malpractice.

"Basically, I want Queensland Health to compensate me for the last seven years.

I want to be financially compensated. I was on WorkCover for quite a long period of time and your salary drops and I've lost a lot of money," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Hoffmann, as saying.

She pointed out that she exhausted all annual leave after being denied special leave to attend Patel's trial.

She urged the government to grant her all annual leave so that she can take adequate rest.

"It was really difficult at the beginning because Patel still had a lot of support in the hospital and what I did was against the code of conduct. It's just been such a long, hard road ... they were my patients that died," she added.

Hoffman's lawyer Maurice Blackburn said she suffered psychologically and financially during Patel's trial because she works in the intensive care unit of Bundaberg Hospital.

"It is an outrage that Queensland Health did not give her the support she needed to get on with her life and now refuses to acknowledge her latest claim," senior partner Peter Koutsoukis said. (ANI)