We also saw another Australian first in robotic surgery... GPHnews 3 A word from the CEO As many of you may have read in the news recently, the founder and Chairman of Ramsay Health Care, Mr Paul Ramsay AO passed away on 1 May 2014 in his home town of Bowral. Paul’s passing was a very sad occasion which was marked with various ceremonies around the country, including a memorial service held here in the GPH chapel. I know Paul was extremely fond of Greenslopes Private Hospital so it was fitting that we had the chance to remember Paul at our very own service with staff, volunteers and VMOs. During his life, Paul had been a generous benefactor to dozens of charities and worthy causes and in death, he has left the biggest single donation in Australia’s history to his personal charitable foundation. You can read more about the incredible life of Paul Ramsay on page 4. Only one month before his death Paul joined with more than 400 special guests at a major event to celebrate 50 years of Ramsay Health Care. This was a fitting tribute to a great man who built Australia’s largest private hospital company from humble beginnings. At a local level I was very proud to lead our annual ANZAC Day Dawn Service of Remembrance. We were delighted to have Mr Tony Dell, former Australian Test Cricketer, Vietnam Veteran and Chairman for Stand Tall for PTS deliver the special address. The service was made extra special this year with over 30 middle school students from Somerville House choir singing so beautifully for us. Our Dawn Service in my mind clearly is the single most significant event we do at Greenslopes that brings together the hospital and local community. I would like to thank every single person (be they staff, GPH volunteers, family members or doctors) who volunteered to make the service and gunfire breakfast such a great morning. On the 70th anniversary of D-Day we were fortunate to hear firsthand the experiences of 92 year old WW II Veteran, Alan Evans who flew with 617 Squadron (refer to page 10). Since opening the latest expansion just over 12 months ago we have just opened another operating theatre, our theatre 17, to cater for the demand by new and existing surgeons for more access to our theatre complex. We also saw another Australian first in robotic surgery with the team performing the first single site robotically assisted cholecystectomy. We have a number of surgeons who are training on the robot to further expand the range of procedures that can be offered using this minimally invasive and precise technology. We are very proud that our very own Clinical Trials Unit at Greenslopes was the first site outside of the US to enrol a patient in a trial of a new treatment for Hepatitis C. Greenslopes Private’s Professor Darrell Crawford co-authored the study which shows that the new treatment has the potential to have a huge positive impact on millions of patients suffering from hepatitis C around the world (refer to page 7). We welcomed the 1000th baby to Greenslopes Maternity in early June, only 16 months after opening Brisbane’s newest maternity service. We are delighted to continue to offer families the best of care delivered in the comfort of our new purpose built facility which is often described as being more like a hotel than a hospital. This edition also features an article on the great work that our Urogynaecologists, Professor Judith Goh and Dr Hannah Krause are doing in Africa to improve medical care for the local women. We are delighted to be able to support their efforts. Best wishes, Mark Page – Chief Executive Officer ...we had the chance to remember Paul at our very own service with staff, volunteers and VMOs. We are delighted to continue to offer families the best of care delivered in the comfort of our new purpose built facility which is often described as being more like a hotel than a hospital.
GPH News Winter 2014
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