Further HIV controversy and delays in reporting four deaths at a Melbourne nursing home brought about the sacking of a top Australian health official yesterday. In a move Health Minister Bronwyn Pike called "unprecedented" and "drastic", she terminated Robert Hall's contract as Victoria's Chief Health Officer, then announced two major reviews of the state's health administration. Hall's fate appears to have been sealed on Friday when Ms Pike was told of further police investigations into the behaviour of HIV-positive men in the community. The Age revealed last month that Dr Hall did nothing to detain an HIV-positive man, Michael John Neal, despite 10 complaints over five years and an expert panel's recommendation in January last year that he be locked up. Neal was accused of infecting two men with HIV and trying to infect another 14 with the virus. On Friday Ms Pike was told of further police investigations into three other cases of HIV-positive Victorians engaging in "risky behaviour". Ms Pike said those "new" HIV revelations, coupled with yesterday's revelations about severe communication delays over the nursing home deaths, had left her "very angry". "It is a fairly drastic step to remove a chief health officer, but I don't think I have any other course of action," she said. "It's a lack of judgement that has been displayed over the last 12 months, in the HIV case and now in this other public health case, that has led me to take this action today." In a statement released by his lawyers yesterday, Dr Hall declared his disappointment at Ms Pike's comments and did not rule out a legal challenge. In addition to Dr Hall's sacking, Ms Pike announced a review of all known cases of HIV-positive people engaging in "risky behaviour". She said there were about 20 such people in Victoria whose cases would be re-examined by a team of retired police and health officials. "I'm not fully satisfied that we have turned over every rock in this situation," she said. Ref: The Age (m)