SENIOR management 'bullies' at Cairns Base Hospital caused their most qualified surgeon such despair she almost killed herself, she exclusively revealed to The Weekend Post yesterday.

Long-time CBH Director of Surgery Christina Steffen said she returned to work two weeks ago after a month on stress leave for a series of events in which she felt "severely undermined", only to be told she had been temporarily stripped of her directorship.

"It was very humiliating and upsetting," Dr Steffen said.

"I was suicidal that weekend… Because I just felt so
undermined."

The top surgeon, who has been the director for 10 years, said she chose to break her silence because she felt strongly that what happened to her was wrong.

"My therapy is to speak out, otherwise I’m just completely
stifled by them.

"You can’t just slink away."

She is considering suing Queensland Health for victimisation and harassment.

"It’s the bullying and the failure to be fair and follow the correct process,’’ she said.

Queensland Health has refused to comment about Dr Steffen’s concerns, saying the situation was "a sensitive internal matter".

Opposition health spokesman Mark McArdle said it seemed the culture of secrecy and bullying within Queensland Health had not changed, despite the State Government’s "hand on heart" promises to the contrary.

"Someone like Dr Steffen, who has the clinical capacity and skill to save lives, should be encouraged and supported by bureaucracy – not white-anted and bullied," Mr McArdle said.

Earlier this week, Dr Steffen spoke out about the "final straw" that caused her to go on stress leave – learning that one of her patients, who bled to death on the operating table, was to be discussed over alcoholic drinks at a social staff meeting.

"You don’t just light-heartedly serve up someone’s death as if, ooh, this is a juicy one we can talk about," she said.

"I was already stressed so when I heard about that I just thought ‘My God, what sort of culture am I in?’. Something snapped."

After Premier Anna Bligh and a hospital spokesman initially denied alcohol was served at the meeting, Queensland Health director-general Mick Reid on Tuesday confirmed that wine and light beer were available but were consumed in a "responsible manner".

When contacted by The Weekend Post, the widow of the 78-year-old Ravenshoe man said she had not been asked for her consent to discuss her late husband’s private details in such a setting.

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