By NOEL MURPHY
STRANDED Bandido biker Daniel Roach has lashed out at Geelong hospital over its treatment of his family in his absence.
Levelling claims of “pure neglect” that he argues could have “killed” his partner Kate, Mr Roach said the hospital had the “worst reputation in Victoria” but his attempts to seek out media coverage had been ignored.
He vented his frustration on Facebook this week after the death of a 15-month-old boy at the hospital received Melbourne metropolitan coverage. The coroner was critical of the hospital without blaming specific parties.
Mr Roach’s concerns also came as a Geelong family launched legal action in the Supreme Court over the death of their father, Johannes Steenboorden, at the hospital.
Mr Roach, caught in limbo in Thailand after Immigration Minister Peter Dutton refused him a return visa while on a Thai boxing camp, slammed Barwon Health for treating “you like you’re making it up…when you see someone go through so much pain, knowing what’s wrong”.
“Or (they) just send you away each time with no results or a number of occasions where pure neglect have cost someone’s life or when someone you know goes in for a ‘standard procedure’ in day surgery and don’t make it out alive,” he said.
“Something has to be done. I’ve witnessed all these things and no one listens.”
The 41-year-old Bandido, a father of two and manager of rising Geelong muay thai fighting star Jason Petropoulos, is seeking to have his visa ban overturned in the federal court.
Barwon Health said the matters before the court were “subject to legal process”, so it was unable to comment on either.
In relation to Mr Roach’s Facebook concerns, Barwon Health said “compliments and complaints” could be directed to its consumer liaison officer.
“All complaints are investigated and acted upon once received,” a spokesperson told the Independent.
