Another senior doctor from the Canberra Hospital has lodged a case in the Federal Court, opposing an investigation by the hospital into claims of bullying and misconduct.
Key points:
- Court documents lay out details of findings from several inquiries which drew on allegations from staff in the hospital’s cardiology department
- Dr Alasady was told in March that he would be suspended, during a formal investigation
- He says he has been treated unfairly and has been denied the opportunity to practice his profession
Cardiologist Muayad Alasady has been suspended by the hospital while the investigation takes place.
His statement of claim reveals he wants the Federal Court to revoke his suspension and stop the investigation, on the grounds he has been denied procedural fairness under his enterprise agreement.
The documents lay out details of findings from several inquiries that drew on allegations from staff in the hospital’s cardiology department.
The initial report, commissioned in 2020, listed allegations of inappropriate behavior by some people working in the department, with claims of bullying and outbursts, including swearing, kicking doors and throwing objects, and consultants shouting and screaming at each other.
The report found there was a culture of blame and a lack of respect for co-workers by some doctors.
And the report also noted there was a clash between Dr Alasady and another doctor.
But the court documents point out that managers considered the report and took no action against Dr Alasady.
The fact they didn’t tell him what they had considered was a breach of the enterprise agreement and a denial of procedural fairness, the documents claim.
The documents outline how the same thing happened with later inquiries that detailed similar allegations, to which he wasn’t able to respond.
Dr Alasady was told in March that he would be suspended, during a formal investigation.
In their submissions to the court, his lawyers said he had been treated unfairly.
“The effect of the suspension decision is that the applicant has suffered reputational harm and denied the opportunity to practice his profession,” the submission states.
Last month, intensive care doctor Bronwyn Avard took her case to the Federal Court after she was subjected to an investigation for misconduct, including allegations of bullying, and urged not to come to work.
Dr Avard said she believed she was the target of retaliation for raising safety concerns over several years.
Neither case has a court date yet.
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