Trauma chief fast-tracked into job

Trauma chief fast-tracked into job	23.05.2008
THE Alfred hospital pressured The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to fast-track surgical accreditation for its now departed trauma chief, one of the doctors who assessed him says. The claim comes two days after a panel investigating misconduct allegations against Professor Thomas Kossmann called for his surgical accreditation to perform spinal and pelvic surgery to be revoked. Prof Kossmann has dismissed the findings of the panel but has resigned from his post. The college`s former orthopedic surgical board chief, Dr John Harris, told The Age newspaper that Prof Kossmann`s accreditation as an orthopedic fellow was sped up at The Alfred`s insistence. Professor Kossmann, trained in Europe, was monitored for the accreditation for only three months, instead of the standard 12 months, The Age said. He was hired to run the trauma unit early in 2001, began work nine months later and was accredited in March 2002. "There was pressure from The Alfred hospital to not have any oversight at all. As I understood it, he was appointed before he even got his fellowship. So there was just this pressure all the time," Dr Harris said. Dr Harris was one of three surgeons to assess Prof Kossmann. "After his three months` oversight, we wondered whether it was almost embarrassing, because he was so highly qualified, to try and put him through this process," he said. A letter seen by The Age showed that in March 2001, The Alfred`s then-medical services director, Dr Sara Watson, wrote to the college to ask if the assessment could take place in Zurich, where Prof Kossmann was working. "We are very pleased that the college has decided that the 12-month oversight is not required and a three or four-month period of on-the-job evaluation is required - our suggestions are offered in the hope of expediting Professor Kossmann`s evaluation," Dr Watson wrote. An Alfred spokesman said yesterday the letter reflected the hospital`s need to fill the post, and that it relied on the college to properly assess Prof Kossmann`s details. Share this article Digg this Post to del.icio.us Post to Newsvine Post to Facebook Add to kwoff
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	08. 2008

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