Mildura Base Public Hospital has reported that a cancer patient died and another received a terminal diagnosis after medical staff failed to triage 150 critical general practitioner referrals that sat forgotten in cardboard boxes for up to 16 months, according to hospital sources. The unassorted files, which included patients with cancer symptoms needing colonoscopies and diagnostic tests alongside confirmed skin cancers, were sent to the hospital in Victoria’s north-west beginning in December 2024 and remained unreviewed until discovered in April, prompting internal reviews and notifications to the state health watchdog Safer Care Victoria.
Failures in Paper-Based Triage and Forgotten GP Referrals
Four anonymous hospital sources revealed that the GP referrals were placed into cardboard folders and boxes for specialist clinics without any centralized tracking system, leaving no specialist doctor assigned to review them. Among the delayed cases, one patient waited nearly five months for an initial appointment regarding a melanoma removal, while another waited 17 months for an endoscopy concerning suspected cancer. According to hospital insiders, proper triage would have classified these urgent cases as category 1, requiring a specialist clinic visit within 30 days before placement on elective surgery waitlists.
While the facility utilizes an administrative IT system, staff still rely on manual sorting and physical paper folders. A health professional working at the facility noted that timely access would have markedly improved the affected patients’ quality of life. An anonymous doctor described the situation as a disaster leading directly to bad patient outcomes due to missing timely access to required care.
Watchdog Oversight and Regional Healthcare Demands
A Safer Care Victoria spokeswoman confirmed that Mildura Base Public Hospital reported the sentinel events in line with reporting obligations and initiated an individual review, noting that investigating adverse patient safety events resulting in serious harm or death remains the responsibility of individual health services. Interim Chief Executive Matthew Jukes stated that waiting for medical treatment is incredibly distressing, particularly for cancer patients, though privacy rules barred the release of specific patient details. He maintained that the facility continually works to improve service delivery and wait times, and confirmed that the hospital has triaged the backlog of 150 critical referrals and booked the patients into specialist clinics.
Australian Medical Association Victoria president Dr Simon Judkins called the incident gravely concerning, pointing out that regional and rural hospitals rely on fax machines and paper processes while city facilities use electronic networks. Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier stated that the state government ignored repeated warnings regarding system failures, arguing that patient lives were put at risk. State health authorities previously announced an overhaul of specialist clinics involving regional waiting lists and AI tools to flag urgent cases, following a Department of Health report showing public hospital wait times reaching up to four years.
Did You Know? Mildura Base Public Hospital operated under a private management contract with Ramsay Health until 2020, when the state Labor government took over direct operation of the public facility.
Future Outlook and System Overhaul Pressures
As Mildura Base Public Hospital works through its current caseload and manages emergency department congestion that previously saw hundreds of patients languishing for over 24 hours, administration projects that transitioning away from paper-based referrals will eventually provide greater visibility over patient wait times. Upgrading IT infrastructure across the Loddon Mallee region carries an estimated price tag of approximately $70 million. Analysts expect that public scrutiny over regional hospital backlogs will intensify pressure on state authorities to accelerate digital upgrades, though the timeline for complete electronic integration across all rural clinics remains dependent on future funding allocations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused the delay in reviewing the 150 critical patient referrals?
According to hospital sources, the paper GP referrals sent to Mildura Base Public Hospital were placed into cardboard boxes and folders without centralized tracking, leaving no specialist doctor assigned to triage them until the files were discovered in April.
What are the health consequences reported from this backlog?
One cancer patient has died and another received a terminal prognosis, though health professionals noted it remains unconfirmed whether earlier triage would have altered those specific outcomes.
What is being done to fix the problem now?
Mildura Base Public Hospital reported the sentinel events to Safer Care Victoria, completed the triage process for all 150 forgotten referrals, booked the affected patients into specialist clinics, and initiated a project to transition from paper records to an electronic system.
Worth a look