Hospital Officials Hit Back at Kylie Minogue Treatment Reports  6/9/05

Officials at Melbourne, Australia's Cabrini Hospital have hit back at media claims Kylie Minogue was given priority over other patients during her recent breast cancer treatments.

The hospital's CEO Roger Greenman has fired off a statement on Minogue's own website declaring press reports the ailing singer received star treatment are false.

Greenman insists Minogue was treated like all other patients and no ambulances were turned away from the Emergency Department, no patient was moved from their room, no rooms were repainted pink and no staff were asked to sign confidentiality agreements - as was reported.

He states, "The reporting of these inaccuracies represents a disappointing attack on the integrity of our hospital and staff."

Freeman goes so far to address each aspect of the false story, adding that far from turning people away, the hospital "had the highest number of attendances for any comparable period this year" during Minogue's stay.

He explains that reporters covering the story may have been confused by the fact that an "ambulance bypass was necessary to ensure that the ED (Emergency

Department) could appropriately treat patients who had already presented".

And, as for the claims that staff were asked to sign confidentiality agreement, Greenman scoffs, "No staff were asked to sign confidentiality agreements. We have complete trust in our staff to preserve the privacy of patients and we would consider the signing of such documents an affront to their integrity."