SMH
Christine Kellett
April 30, 2009 - 12:23PM
Queensland Health has rostered on extra staff to conduct pest control at a Darling Downs hospital after an 89-year-old nursing home resident had his ears gnawed by mice.
The LNP member for Condamine, Ray Hopper, raised the alarm yesterday after staff at Dalby Hospital's nursing home, Karingal, found the man covered in blood on Anzac Day.
The man, a war veteran, was in a distressed state and had injuries from severe mouse bites, Mr Hopper told brisbanetimes.com.au.
"I'm told by his daughter that the poor old fellow [had] been trying to brush the mice away as they continued chewing his ears, head and neck," Mr Hopper said.
"He was so stressed that doctors put him on morphine to calm him down. He nearly died on Saturday night. He was being eaten alive."
A Queensland Health spokeswoman told brisbanetimes.com.au this morning that extra staff had been rostered on at the nursing home to deal with the infestation and mouse traps were being set.
Mr Hopper said he had written to Health Minister Paul Lucas over the incident and demanded the Environmental Protection Agency begin pest control urgently.
"I'm told there's a hold-up in getting approval from the Government's Environmental agency for poison to be used on land adjoining the hospital.
"Mice plagues are a fact of life for the Darling Downs and we need to be able to control them with whatever we can … traps and poisons ... and we don't need to be denied access to effective poisons because some bureaucrats at head office are sitting on their hands.
"Patients being bitten by mice is unacceptable … it's worse than Third World and the minister needs to stop the nonsense that poisoning is not an option."
Federal Ageing Minister Justine Elliot could not be contacted for comment, but earlier told the ABC she would consider evacuating the facility if pest control measures were not effective.
"There has been action taken in terms of the eradication measures that are in place - we are closely monitoring it," she said.
"If we ever do find a situation where we do find it's required to evacuate people, we do that very, very swiftly - that's our main concern but we are closely monitoring the situation."
Mr Hopper described the situation at Karingal as "disgusting".
"It's absolutely pathetic, while the Premier is using the Mexican pig flu as another media opportunity, no one wants to do anything to protect sick people from disease-carrying vermin in a local hospital, or nursing home,'' he said.
The Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister / Dear Leader, Kevin Rudd is maintaining it's appalling treatment of serving and returned service men, if they are not white anting our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan they are feeding WW2 Veterans to Mice.
Our Troops in Afghanistan are been fed SLOPS whilst our Dear Leader demands three course meals for a 30 minute plane ride between Sydney and Canberra.
This Australian WW2 Veteran,eaten alive by Mice in is bed was NOT an illegal immigrant.
Dear Leaders priorities:
Rudds Australia: Illegal Immigrants reach Paradise and Australian taxpayers will PAY
Pauline dudded of urgent treatment
Rudd's Australia: More illegals arrive at Barrow Island
Australia's Dear Leader can always find taxpayers money for what he and his supporters describe as "Australia's international responsibilities"... pity he and they have no sense of responsibility towards Australians.
Kevin Rudd blows up over special VIP jet meal
EXCLUSIVE by Steve Lewis and Ian McPhedranThe Daily Telegraph
April 03, 2009 07:20am
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd was forced to apologise mid-flight to an RAAF cabin attendant on a VIP jet after he berated her because his "special" meal went missing.
The 23-year-old air force staffer wept and reported the matter to the senior cabin attendant after Mr Rudd reacted "strongly" when told his meal request could not be met.
An official report was filed by 84 Wing and the VIP Fleet Group commander Captain Peter Wood, detailing the behaviour of "VIP No. 1", Mr Rudd.
"The crew were distressed but later in-flight apologies were made by all," the report said.
The attendant later composed herself and continued with the service.
Trim and terrific: Mrs Rudd looking good for the G20 summit
The incident occurred as Mr Rudd, Treasurer Wayne Swan and other senior officials boarded the VIP jet to Canberra after attending the Pacific Islands Forum in Port Moresby in January. Mr Rudd has been losing weight and is on a non-red meat and fruit-only for dessert diet.
According to the report, cabin crew on board the taxpayer-funded Boeing 737 VIP aircraft from the RAAF's number 34 Squadron were not even aware of the meal request that caused the blow up.
Australian Diggers fighting diet of tasteless gruel
Ian McPhedran
Herald Sun
April 27, 2009 12:00am
AUSTRALIAN Diggers risking all on the deadly battlefields of Afghanistan are fighting on a diet of tasteless gruel.
Soldiers bombarded Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon with complaints when he made a secret Anzac Day visit to Oruzgan Province on Friday, prompting him
to pledge to fix the problem.
Senior officers have conceded the poor diet is affecting morale and soldiers' health, and have ordered a study into the nutritional value of the food.
The Herald Sun took the taste test on Friday at the Dutch-run mess at Tarin Kowt military base after learning of complaints about food quality.
The tasteless slab of roast pork was submerged in a sea of equally flavour-challenged gravy, and the pumpkin had long since morphed from a solid vegetable
to liquid gruel.
The other choice was an equally inedible turkey slice.
As Diggers from the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force confront a limited daily diet, just up the road their comrades from the Special Operations Task
Group (SOTG) enjoy fresh vegetables and quality cooking.
The difference was obvious at an Anzac Day breakfast hosted by SOTG, as our exclusive images show.
Mr Fitzgibbon heard plenty of complaints about the food and vowed to act.
Numerous soldiers and senior officers told him the "kings versus paupers" attitude was divisive and unfair.
Special forces troops eat in a mess that is financed and run separately from the normal army channels.
The "special" mess employs qualified cooks and uses only fresh ingredients.
For the troops of the MRTF, it is Dutch gruel or a hamburger.
The issue is bigger than just the Diggers complaining to their partners at home.
Commanding officer Lt-Col Shane Gabriel said the difference in food had affected both nutrition and morale.
He has commissioned a study into the nutritional value of the MRTF food.
The SOTG runs its own tight supply lines and team of cooks, while the Dutch mess runs at half capacity and is forced to import prepared meals.
After several complaints back home, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Defence Force chiefs are also now involved and want the problem fixed.
