Dr Chris Higgins, father of singer Missy Higgins, has slammed Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos for her remarks on his case, accusing her of “cheap political grandstanding.”
Dr Higgins, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 after returning from a trip to the US, saw about 70 patients at a Toorak clinic and an aged care facility before realising he had coronavirus.
In a press conference yesterday, Mikakos told reporters she was “flabbergasted” at the GP’s decision to return to work after displaying “flu-like symptoms.”
Chris Higgins snapped back at her remarks in a comment on her Facebook page, saying that he was “upset about the inaccuracies and unfairness”, and asking for an apology.
He said that he believed he had come down with a mild cold after returning from the US, and that it had mostly resolved itself by the following Monday, “hence my decision to return to work.”
He wrote:
“I hesitated to do a swab because I did not fulfil your criteria for testing but did one anyway on Thursday evening for the sake of completeness, not imagining for one moment it would turn out positive. I believe you have taken a cheap opportunity for political grandstanding and would appreciate an apology.”
In a video posted to social media yesterday, former AMA president Dr Kerryn Phelps criticised Jenny Mikakos for her handling of the case.
“Are you kidding me? Let’s get the story straight,” she said, noting that Dr Chris Higgins did not contravene any government health advice by returning to work.
A group of Melbourne GPs also condemned Mikakos’ comments in an open letter yesterday.
“We are already struggling to come up with plans on how to look after our patients while minimising the risk to ourselves, our patients and our loved ones,” they said.
“The way you treated our colleague today has given us little confidence that we have support from our health minister. To the contrary, you proved that you are ready to throw any infected doctor under the bus.”
BREAKING: Vic Health Minister @JennyMikakos confirms Toorak doctor has become 11th confirmed case of Coronavirus in Victoria @9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/1f3hfITWcS
— Dougal Beatty (@DougalBeatty) March 7, 2020
