2nd complaint to Health Ombudsman

agentorangechild
May 9
5 min read

Updated: May 11

Dear Health Ombudsman,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to lodge a formal complaint against Queensland Health regarding ongoing medical negligence and failure of duty of care spanning several years. I allege that I have been repeatedly dismissed, misdirected, and denied appropriate medical care despite having serious and documented health conditions linked to second-generation exposure to TCDD (Agent Orange).

In 2019, a Queensland Health specialist informed me that he could not assist me because he was “only looking at [my] lumbar spine,” and recommended I attend a university clinic “to keep [me] busy.” This was said in the context of significant neurological symptoms and complex spinal degeneration that warranted comprehensive investigation and coordinated care. His statement was dismissive, and no appropriate referrals or follow-up were provided.

This was not an isolated incident. Over the years, I have encountered multiple instances where Queensland Health services failed to:

Properly investigate or escalate my health concerns,
Acknowledge the seriousness of my symptoms,
Refer me to necessary specialists in a timely manner, or
Recognize the systemic nature of my condition, which has since been diagnosed by a general practitioner as linked to Agent Orange exposure.

This ongoing negligence has contributed to a worsening of my health, significant loss of function, and emotional distress. The lack of coordinated care, appropriate referrals, and specialist input amounts to systemic medical failure and professional misconduct.

I am currently preparing submissions to federal and international bodies regarding the denial of medical care and recognition for second-generation TCDD exposure. This complaint forms part of a broader pattern of institutional neglect and human rights violations.

I respectfully request a full investigation into the conduct of the involved Queensland Health staff and services, as well as a review of how my care was managed from 2011 onward.

I am happy to provide supporting documentation, including my medical history, diagnosis, and timeline of relevant events.

Warm Agent Orange Burns regards,

Danielle Stevens

We will always be a child of a Vietnam Veteran.

https://agentorangechild.wixsite.com/agent-orange-child

Thank you for contacting the Office of the Health Ombudsman. We have received your email and it will be actioned by one of our team members soon.

On occasion the Office of the Health Ombudsman will need to collect and share personal information to manage a complaint. Personal information includes information that identifies a person and medical information. Further, this information, and the information you provide as part of your complaint may be disclosed to another relevant entity, such as, the health service provider;, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency; or another relevant entity of the State or Commonwealth. Any disclosure of information is done for the purpose of managing your complaint in accordance with, or to the extent permitted under the Health Ombudsman Act 2013 and Information Privacy Act 2009. If you do not agree with the recording or releasing of personal information, could you please advise us of this, noting that in some circumstances we might proceed without consent or alternatively not be able to proceed if we cannot disclose certain information.

Office of the Health Ombudsman

T: 13 36 46

E: complaints@oho.qld.gov.au

W: www.oho.qld.gov.au

P: PO Box 13281 George Street QLD 4003

The Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, and pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

The OHO embraces workplace flexibility. If you are receiving this email outside of standard work hours, this is in alignment with my working preferences. There is no obligation to respond outside your working hours.

Subject: Follow-Up: Queensland Health Negligence in Context of 2011 UN Warnings on Agent Orange (TCDD)

Dear Health Ombudsman,

I am writing to provide further context to my earlier complaint regarding Queensland Health’s failure of duty of care, specifically relating to missed diagnoses, dismissal of symptoms, and a lack of coordinated medical attention for chronic and progressive health issues.

By 2011, the United Nations had already issued warnings and reports regarding the long-term and intergenerational impacts of TCDD (Agent Orange) exposure, especially on children of Vietnam veterans. These warnings highlighted the urgent need for governments — including Australia — to recognize and address the health consequences facing second-generation survivors.

Despite this, Queensland Health failed to consider or investigate my symptoms in that context. I presented in 2011 with serious spinal injury (L4/L5, S1), neurological symptoms, and multiple indicators of a systemic, degenerative condition. Instead of a full investigation, I was told to attend a university clinic “to keep me busy” — a statement that exemplifies the institutional negligence I’ve faced.

This is not only a failure at the clinical level, but a broader failure of Queensland Health to respond to known international obligations and public health warnings. Given that the Australian government was aware of these risks, and that I was already severely symptomatic by 2011, this should have triggered specialist involvement, coordinated care, and consideration of environmental or inherited causes.

These failures reflect eight violations of UN human rights obligations, including those highlighted in the Orica case: the right to health, the right to a safe and clean environment, the rights of the child, the right to life, the right to be free from discrimination, the right to access justice, the right to information, and the right to an effective remedy.

The Orica case highlighted Australia’s failure to uphold obligations under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), exposing communities to toxic chemicals like dioxins without adequate safeguards, transparency, or remediation—paralleling the government’s neglect in addressing second-generation TCDD (Agent Orange) harm.

Orica was fined 100 millions of dollars by the Australian Government for releasing dioxins—chemicals less potent than the TCDD I was exposed to—yet no compensation, recognition, or medical support has ever been provided to second-generation survivors like me, despite far more severe and lifelong harm.

I ask that this international context be factored into your assessment, and I remain available to provide copies of the relevant UN documents, scientific studies, and medical correspondence supporting my case.

Thank you for your attention.