Midwife Upset Over ‘Butcher of Bega’
By Danell Swim
March 26, 2008
A MIDWIFE who worked with the so-called Butcher of Bega at Sydney Adventist Hospital has spoken out, claiming a written complaint she made about him was ignored by the hospital and that doctors knew about his mistreatment of patients but did nothing.
Sandy Brooks is the first nurse to speak publicly since the scandal broke last month about Graeme Reeves working illegally as an obstetrician at two South Coast public hospitals in 2002.
Ms Brooks, who was a midwife at Sydney Adventist Hospital for 18 years before resigning in 2002, said she was upset after seeing Mr Reeves attempt several unnecessary forceps deliveries before the mother was fully dilated, and often without anaesthetic. Mr Reeves worked there from 1989 to 1998.
Hundreds of women have come forward alleging Mr Reeves mutilated their genitals, botched procedures and sexually assaulted them at several NSW hospitals.
Ms Brooks said yesterday she regretted not insisting on a response to her written complaint.
“I just feel sorry for the women,” she said. “A lot of them had their lives ruined.”
She complained Mr Reeves had abused her for not checking with him before placing a monitor on a woman in premature labour to check the baby’s heart rate.
“He screamed at us and said ‘how dare you do this without asking me’, but it was normal procedure,” she said.
She said she had a “stand-up fight with him in the corridors” and refused to work with him again. “I now regret that I didn’t follow things through,” she said. “They [doctors] didn’t particularly like him but they didn’t interfere.”
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