The Mercury: LGH head quits on Christmas eve [05dec03] -
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Published on: 12/4/2003
Last Visited: 12/4/2003
LAUNCESTON General Hospital chief executive officer Liz Stackhouse has quit amid speculation the hospital would lose specialist medical services to Hobart.
Ms Stackhouse announced her resignation yesterday, saying her reasons were personal and she was not going to detail them publicly.
She described threats to northern specialist services as "groundless" and an "unfortunate low point" of her six years as hospital chief.
"Allegations about a conspiracy to centralise specialist services in the south are wrong and completely ignore the reality that the Royal Hobart Hospital simply could not accommodate them," she said.
Ms Stackhouse was the first woman to head the hospital and will leave the job on Christmas Eve.
In her resignation statement, issued yesterday afternoon after Ms Stackhouse told hospital staff of her decision, she defended the LGH's standing, saying it was one of the best regional hospitals in Australia and would remain a pillar of Tasmania's hospital system.
"When I became CEO in January 1998 we were treating just 23,000 patients a year.In the current financial year we are projecting that will rise to more than 30,000, " she said.
"As well, we treat around 28,000 people in the emergency department and provide well over 225,000 outpatient occasions of service."
Ms Stackhouse, who is believed to be considering a move into small business, said it was a privilege to serve with the LGH staff, and that she was leaving the hospital in safe hands.
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A spokesman for Health and Human Services Minister David Llewellyn, Stewart Prins, said that the minister was not issuing a statement on Ms Stackhouse's resignation "at this time".