Well, after enduring a week long battle with the Victorian health system I simply must share this story and invite some feedback.
My grandmother had a fall in her kitchen last Monday and broke three fingers. The GP sent her straight to emergency which wasn't a problem as we live two streets away from the hospital. It was clear that her fingers had been badly damaged (one loaded with compound fractures) and surgery would be required to fix it all up.
However, there were no beds in the hospital Monday night so my nanna was sent home, her fingers haphazzardly wrapped up (still covered in blood) with instructions to return the next morning for surgery. I came home Tuesday afternoon and she still hadn't had surgery, she'd been sent home again because the surgeon wasn't coming in that day after all. She would be admitted Thursday for surgery.
She was admitted Thursday and as the hours clocked by, my grandmother was eventually told that her surgery had had to be postponed as there had been an emergency and the theatres were required. She was told that the surgery would be happening at 9am the next morning.
The next morning they came in to take her down, until the anaethitist realised that no blood tests or cardiac tests had been conducted. So those had to be done, and the surgery could not happen until the results were known. It was 1pm in the afternoon before she went into surgery. She broke her fingers on Monday.
Why is this the case? Are our hospitals servicing too large a population for their capacities? Are our sitting parliament members ensuring the needs of their electorate met? Are we just sitting back and letting this happen? Are the states getting the extra funds from the GST that they were promised? Will there be more hospitals built to cope with the strains in the system at the moment?
I am lucky. My gran has had her surgery and all is well but it has really made me stop and think about what is going on. I would hate to think that any other person would be expected to go through the same ordeal, especially our elderly who have made the communities what they are today - after all it was their taxes who paid for these facilities. It's just such a slap in the face.
I am seriously considering running for state parliament in my electorate. My family have told me that its no use trying to go up against the system (their staunch labor supporters and don't tend to speak out against the party or their sitting members). However, I won't know that its no use until I've tried.
Sorry about the rant guys!!! Its been one of those weeks!!!
My grandmother had a fall in her kitchen last Monday and broke three fingers. The GP sent her straight to emergency which wasn't a problem as we live two streets away from the hospital. It was clear that her fingers had been badly damaged (one loaded with compound fractures) and surgery would be required to fix it all up.
However, there were no beds in the hospital Monday night so my nanna was sent home, her fingers haphazzardly wrapped up (still covered in blood) with instructions to return the next morning for surgery. I came home Tuesday afternoon and she still hadn't had surgery, she'd been sent home again because the surgeon wasn't coming in that day after all. She would be admitted Thursday for surgery.
She was admitted Thursday and as the hours clocked by, my grandmother was eventually told that her surgery had had to be postponed as there had been an emergency and the theatres were required. She was told that the surgery would be happening at 9am the next morning.
The next morning they came in to take her down, until the anaethitist realised that no blood tests or cardiac tests had been conducted. So those had to be done, and the surgery could not happen until the results were known. It was 1pm in the afternoon before she went into surgery. She broke her fingers on Monday.
Why is this the case? Are our hospitals servicing too large a population for their capacities? Are our sitting parliament members ensuring the needs of their electorate met? Are we just sitting back and letting this happen? Are the states getting the extra funds from the GST that they were promised? Will there be more hospitals built to cope with the strains in the system at the moment?
I am lucky. My gran has had her surgery and all is well but it has really made me stop and think about what is going on. I would hate to think that any other person would be expected to go through the same ordeal, especially our elderly who have made the communities what they are today - after all it was their taxes who paid for these facilities. It's just such a slap in the face.
I am seriously considering running for state parliament in my electorate. My family have told me that its no use trying to go up against the system (their staunch labor supporters and don't tend to speak out against the party or their sitting members). However, I won't know that its no use until I've tried.
Sorry about the rant guys!!! Its been one of those weeks!!!
