Arabic version: تسعى تسمانيا إلى وقف مراجعة وفيات مستشفى لونسيستون

According to ABC News, Tasmania’s health department has asked for a coronial investigation connected to alleged falsification of medical certificates at Launceston General Hospital to be cut short, despite a department-commissioned 2024 review referring cases to the coroner.

At a Wednesday case management conference concerning the 2020 death of Margaret Joyce Binns, 82, the department’s lawyer, Gretel Chen, argued the coroner did not have jurisdiction to investigate certificates or reopen cases. Ms Binns died after a fall in her kitchen and was one of 29 deaths referred following the Reportable Deaths Review led by health administrator Debora Picone.

The review examined allegations involving Peter Renshaw, the hospital’s former executive director of medical services, and found one staff member had engaged in a “repeated pattern” of acting outside the scope of Tasmanian law. Dr Renshaw, who was the hospital’s clinical director from 1989 until retiring in 2022, has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. His medical registration was suspended by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency in 2024.

Coroner Leigh Mackey said a medical certificate was significant and questioned whether the court could comment on its issuing in a relevant case. The hearing was adjourned with no further date set, and a written decision on jurisdiction is expected. Magistrate Mackey said an inquest was unlikely and that she was considering making “in chambers” findings about Dr Renshaw’s conduct.

Health Department Secretary Dale Webster said questions remained over whether Ms Binns’s death met the definition of a reportable death under the Coroners Act. The department said it remained committed to working openly with relevant authorities. Tasmania Police will not investigate Ms Picone’s report, citing insufficient evidence.