Patel whistblower wants $400,000 compo
Whistleblower Toni Hoffman, who exposed killer surgeon Jayant Patel, is seeking $400,000 compensation from Queensland Health for injuries and loss of income.
Ms Hoffman on Friday told AAP the stress of exposing Patel's malpractice, which led to three manslaughter convictions, had taken its toll on her.
She said she was also denied special leave to attend Patel's trial.
"Basically, I want Queensland Health to compensate me for the last seven years," Ms Hoffman told AAP.
"I want to be financially compensated.
"I was on WorkCover for quite a long period of time and your salary drops and I've lost a lot of money."
Ms Hoffman said she took all of her annual leave to attend Patel's trial in June last year - five years after she exposed the deaths of patients he treated at Bundaberg Hospital.
She wants her leave reinstated so she can take a well-earned rest.
"It was really difficult at the beginning because Patel still had a lot of support in the hospital and what I did was against the code of conduct," Ms Hoffman said.
"It's just been such a long, hard road ... they were my patients that died."
Ms Hoffman's lawyers Maurice Blackburn say she has suffered psychologically and financially due to her role in exposing Patel at Bundaberg Hospital, where she still works in the intensive care unit.
The compensation claim was lodged in the District Court this week after talks to settle her claim broke down.
"It is an outrage that Queensland Health did not give her the support she needed to get on with her life and now refuses to
acknowledge her latest claim," senior partner Peter Koutsoukis said.
"Her claim for $400,000 includes past and future loss of income, medical expenses and loss of superannuation income."
In June 2010, Patel was sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter of three people and the grievous bodily harm of one person.
Maurice Blackburn principal Ian Brown has also represented 200 of Patel's former patients before the commissions of inquiry and in successful compensation claims against the state.
