Details have emerged of attempts within the region's health service to punish and silence a doctor for speaking out about a failed piece of medical equipment.Within hours of publicly condemning the high-stakes breakdown of an outdated medical compressor at Shoalhaven Hospital, Dr Tony Fitzpatrick's comeuppance was being considered by the South Coast's top health bureaucrat, documents obtained under Freedom of Information show.South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Health's Southern Hospitals Network general manager Sue Browbank sent an email to the health service's communications and executive services director, Alison Errey. "So what action can be taken against Tony Fitzpatrick?" was all it said.Ms Errey replied by expressing her frustration at media revelations about the broken equipment, which was apparently more than 50 years old and - according to the FOI documents - repeatedly cited by hospital staff as faulty."Is there nothing else down there that they should be concentrating on???!!!" was Ms Errey's reply.The health service appears to have gone into damage control the day after the compressor failed, with numerous emails sent to clarify where the compressor had been placed on capital expenditure lists.In one, Ms Browbank suggests a way to stop the information flow from Shoalhaven health workers to the media."Maybe we should frame any response from the site manager down there so they know they are hanging their own out to dry." The Mercury requested an interview with Ms Browbank yesterday but was sent the following email from "a spokesperson"."Email exchanges between senior managers in relation to staff conduct and behaviour are often difficult, however necessary."If individual staff members have any concerns they are openly encouraged to raise these with their managers and the Area Health Service. "At the time of this email exchange, the new compressor had already been ordered and an interim machine was in place."Dr Fitzpatrick, chair of Shoalhaven Hospital's medical staff council, said the suggestion of action being taken against him was not surprising."It's a little bit of bullying behaviour," he said.He pointed to the Garling report into NSW health services, which found bullying and harassment of medical staff by bureaucrats was "a significant problem that needs to be addressed".Dr Fitzpatrick said he was not concerned because "they can't take any action against me". "I'm not contracted to the hospital, I'm a visiting medical officer." However the suggestion of action being taken against a senior doctor for speaking out has outraged the State Opposition."I'm speechless but I'm not surprised," said Member for South Coast, Shelley Hancock.She said people within the health service were afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs, while she claimed some doctors who had spoken about concerns with the health system had been demoted.The request for documents sent within the health service in 2009 on the need to replace the compressor unearthed 82 documents, however 38 were deemed exempt and not released. Of the remaining documents 16 had sections removed."What else is there that they want to hide?" Mrs Hancock asked.