Vale Dr Chris Phoon …
The time has come to say “thank you & farewell” to Dr Chris Phoon & his family.
Sadly, there was no opportunity to bid Dr Phoon & his family a proper farewell; to acknowledge the value that they added to the health & wellbeing of our community & to express our regret that they had been driven out by an ugly, faceless, unaccountable bureaucracy in the form of NSW Health, protected by cowardly & negligent politicians.
For those surprised by our news, we should say that we haven’t had the opportunity of speaking to Dr Phoon, but rather only to listen to the sad message on his answering machine in his Bega rooms, confirming that they are now closed due to the fact that he does not have a contract to work at the South East Regional Hospital (SERH).
The Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association (BVSRRA) believes that Dr Phoon was victim of a deliberate, deceitful & determined campaign by the management of NSW Health to drive him out & nothing would prevent them from achieving their aim.
His crime? The greatest crime that any of us can commit: to dare to stand up & challenge the power of government, in particular its unaccountable bureaucratic keepers & political enablers.
As the head of orthopedic surgery at the new south east regional hospital, Dr Phoon was clearly too outspoken for ‘city hall’, challenging & provoking the status quo with a determined commitment to place the health interests of his patients above all other considerations; a challenging behaviour that simply could not & would not be tolerated.
So it was that when the time came to renew Dr Phoon’s employment contract, NSW Health wickedly, willfully, dishonestly & deceitfully refused to renew it. Notwithstanding Dr Phoon’s exemplary performance record, NSW Health had determined to drive him out as punishment for having the temerity to question its power & authority.
NSW Health, aided & abetted by incompetent & cowardly politicians, has succeeded in destroying the orthopaedic capability at the new south east regional hospital, jeopardised critical patient care within the region, persecuted a surgeon & his family & betrayed the trust of the community, all in the interests of demonstrating who is in charge of our health system & that its primary purpose is not to meet the needs of patients but to serve the ambitions of its anonymous & unaccountable management.
Vale Dr Phoon.
Thank you for caring & we wish you & your family every happiness for the future.
“Rejicimus tyrannide” John Richardson Secretary/Treasurer Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association
