Guest Post: Peter King
On the 29th of November 2006 a letter was published in the Whitehorse Leader newspaper regarding my experience at the Box Hill Hospital’s emergency department. Chief amongst the complaints were the long waiting times. I have since received a reply from the hospital and the Victorian Minister for Health which I find unsatisfactory and which I will be following up.
Of great concern to me were the letters in the paper the following week which appear to attempt to deflect this criticism by asserting that I shouldn’t have been at the emergency department in the first place and some went as far as to suggest that my actions were something akin to dole bludging or worse!
These respondents, some of who refuse to publish their names, not only appear to know more about my medical condition than I do but also appear not to have read my letter properly. I reported that I had a ‘head trauma’ and that this required an X-ray, a situation that any reasonable person would not consider a mere ‘cut’, ‘bump’, ‘lump’ or ‘bruise’ on the head. Further to this, I can also inform readers that Nurses-On-Call told me to go to an emergency department and that Box Hill Hospital concur with this decision after reading my original unedited letter. Finally my new GP, as I was about to board a plane for overseas, said on the telephone; “If you have any further problem, go to hospital” and not just “go to a doctor”.
Whilst I now understand the emotion that many people feel about criticism of our local hospital, I am not one that believes that doctors, nurses and hospitals are above reproach and I’m sure, given the Doctor Death scandal in Queensland (and others scandals), that many Australians would agree with me.
One of the many ironies that I see in the responses to my letter is that, by writing to the local paper, I was informing others of the long waiting times and, at the same time, informing them that there is an alternative in some cases. I mention that it cost me $40 to go to the Burwood HealthCare, ‘Name supplied, Blackburn’, not because I begrudge paying this but simply to let others know - particularly those who may not be able to afford the on-the-spot payment.
I was also motivated to write my letter because of the ABC’s Victorian Stateline program which criticized the long waiting list for elective surgery, the long delay in seeing a specialist just to get on the waiting list and, finally, the long waiting times in emergency departments. Indeed the triage nurse at Box Hill Hospital suggested to me that waiting times had worsened in recent months. This was something that was edited out of my letter along with the comment that, in my opinion, it was not the fault of nurses or doctors but what was happening was due to financial or political pressures. I have since spoken to a senior nurse about the crises in our hospitals and she agreed with me and further encouraged me to speak out by saying; “You know … one person can make a difference.”
Just as many of my detractors do not understand the purpose of an emergency department, which is sometimes called a ‘trauma’ or ‘casualty’ department by the way, some reacted to my use of the term ‘non-urgent patients’ to also suggest that my condition was not serious enough to be treated at the emergency department. My understanding of ‘non-urgent’ is anyone who does not have a life threatening condition requiring immediate attention and has to wait. I was speaking on behalf of all patients who have to wait for treatment in the emergency department.
After reading government documents, freely available on the internet, I have also come to the conclusion that there is clearly an incentive for hospitals to not only invite patients to use the emergency department rather than go elsewhere but also for the hospital to classify as many patients as possible in the lowest priority category. I have since discovered others who have experienced the same. Namely, after waiting far longer than the estimated time they decide to leave and only then are they provided with a viable alternative - Burwood HealthCare which has X-ray facilities on the premises. I did ask, when I arrived, how long I would be waiting and then for any alternative. I was given no viable alternative. By the way, Nurses-On-Call would not suggest an alternative and insisted that I go to the emergency department!
To illustrate the seriousness of the crises in our hospitals, I have a friend who spent eight hours on a trolley in Royal Melbourne Hospital with a wrist broken in six places. He was then told that there was no surgeon available to operate on him for three days! Clearly, he was considered a non-urgent patient. His comment to me was “I can’t believe that this is happening in Australia”. “Nor can I”, I said … “Nor can I”.
Peter King, Burwood
Labels: Emergency Services, Guest Post, Health
Guest Post- Lori McLean
Why is this Bracks Government spending so much money on the Health system in the Eastern suburbs when the West are crying out for funding and not getting their share. Even the safest seat will fall in time . People in the West are sick of the neglect. One Hospital from Altona to Geelong. No Childrens Hospital in one of the largest growing areas in Victoria and the third Largest growth area in Australia.Where are the Dental Facilities not everyone has been born with a silver spoon in their mouth to afford to go to the Dentist. I see young men and women in the district with really bad teeth I feel for them as they can not afford dental health for themselves when they have young families. These young families are our future.Also they must be suffering terrible pain.
It is disgusting when we have politians on huge salaries and benefits for life when the backbone of the country is suffering.
Yes you going to but millions into fixing the mistake of the Geelong Ring road but I am sure people would rather have a better health system in the West. More Doctors. The one Hospital we have on many occasions has one doctor on in Emergency. This has been a problem for a long time . We were told it was fixed. Bull. Why are the ambulance continually on BY Pass. They must think we love travelling on the poor public transport to go to other suburbs to see Specialists who we cannot get in Werribee.WE have one diabetic Specialist here. He is so snowed under its incredible, To see a rheumotoligist you have to go to Footscray.or East Melbourne. Why haven"t we got these facilities here. This is were your 2030 plan is to build High density housing well what about some bloody services.
Lori McLean
Labels: Guest Post, Health, Transport
Doctors' Exodus
VICTORIA'S doctor shortage will worsen if the State Government fails to lift pay rates, medical authorities have warned.Australian Medical Association state president Mark Yates said unless pay increased, Victoria would lose doctors from public hospitals as they went interstate for better deals.
"Doctors are very restless in Victoria because of the lack of response that we have had from the Bracks Government," Dr Yates said.
Dr Yates said doctors in QLD and NSW were paid up to 56 per cent more than their Victorian counterparts.
Victoria has a shortage of some 900 doctors and this is expected to grow to 1500 by 2012, prompting the State Government to boost the number of medical students. However, the new students will not begin to fill the gaps until 2012, making action to attract and retain doctors a priority, Dr Yates said.
From
The AgeLabels: Education, Health, Media Commentary
Party Away Your Health Worries
$450,000
Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars
Thats how much Steve Bracks and his government have spent to celebrate the opening of the new
Austin and
Mercy hospitals.
Amongst the bill for Victorian taxpayers:
- $15,000 for roving performers and stage acts
- $9300 for muffins, danishes, slices and other refreshments
- $15,000 for invitations and flyers
- $46,000 for Health Minister Bronwyn Pike's Party
Tax Justice Association national director Peter McDonald puts it best:
"You don't need to have 20,000 people at something as a feelgood exercise: all you need is an announcement through the media and everyone will know the new hospital, or whatever, is open."
This isn't the first time that Bracks has used big events to soften the pain for cost blowouts. From Victorian Hansard on 1 March 2006:
"Last April the Premier and the Minister for Transport had Max the Magician, Spaghetti the Clown and Thomas the Tank Engine selling the Spencer Street railway station redevelopment and the fast rail project at a party bash, a pathetic public relations stunt that, based on the good freedom of information work done by the member for Brighton — cost taxpayers at least $170 000, all for a one-day shindig. It was a ridiculous open day when nothing was in fact actually open."
also Railpage:
Despite the many thousands of dollars spent advertising the event, just 4500 people attended the day-long festivities at Spencer St Station in April. As well as clowns, face painters and rides for the children, the publicity stunt featured 10,000 balloons, ribbons, banners, stickers, audio-visual displays and two photographers to record it all.
The Bracks Government has spent $800,000-plus on parties and breakfasts to "sell" troubled major projects to voters and will spend about $5 million more on ads and events leading up to this year's election. Think of the money that could have been spent to retain Victorian doctors.
Labels: Advertising, Education, Health, Transport
An Ode To The Bracks Government
Team Brackswatch has received the following submission from a reader. All readers are welcomed to make submissions using the link on the right.I would like to thank the Bracks government for bringing us the Commonwealth Games.
I would like to thank them for using monstrous amounts of my money to turn a school sports event into a pseudo-Olympic games.
Thank you for thus ensuring that very ordinary Aussie athletes could thus stand tall among the pigmies of the sporting world.
Thanks to all the institutes of sport, who pay, house and feed mediocre athletes to enable them to become good mediocre athletes and not have to resort to actually working for a living.
Thank you to the Aussie athletes who whipped the pants off international powerhouses like Jersey, Swaziland and Banghalawootitoti.
Thanks to the Victorian tax payer, who will end up paying in excess of $500 each to subsidize the games.
Thank you for also taking up the slack and buying the tickets that were sent back when no tourists wanted to come to our party.
So, as I lie here in my little beddie, with a warm and fussy inner glow, I am so glad that $40 million was well spent on an opening ceremony and not wasted by improving our hospital waiting lists, helping the aged or upgrading schools and/or roads.
I can sleep peacefully and happy - thank you.
Oh, I almost forgot....a very special thank you to John Steffenson for carrying on like a drug-crazed pork chop - what a lovely "role-model" for our kids he is.
Labels: Commonwealth Games, Education, Guest Post, Health
