What Australia MUST do: Part IV
What Australia MUST do to advance: Part IV
Part I: Here // Part II: Here // Part III: Here
My forth item in the list of six “Things Australia MUST do in order to advance” is an issue that while is very popular right now, is not exactly what is being talked about. I will also use the real life story of my fiancée, not as an emotional (read: weak) argument, but as a real world example of how things aren’t working. Unlike the rest of this series, I don’t actually really have a concrete solution. I have always been a strong believer in the old adage: if you don’t have any better ideas, then shutthefuckup. However, with this issue, I simply must speak up without a well thought out answer to the problem.
In late 2003 my fiancée tore her anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. She went to the doctor who confirmed the tear and a dislocation of her knee, which corrected itself.
She was referred to a, purposely unnamed, hospital to get arthroscopic surgery, a procedure that is relatively routine which could involve treatment of the injury, or at the very least give the doctors a real look at the damage done. She was told to rest the knee, and await instructions from the hospital for consultation and surgery times.
We met mid 2004, and from the beginning her issue with her knee was clear. Any running or heave walking would usually cause her knee to “pop out” of place, causing her to tumble to the ground, it would fix itself and she would be sore for a day or so. This happened at least once a fortnight; sometimes it happened when just walking normally.
At least once a month her mother would call the hospital to see what the holdup was, and each time was told that they’d get back to her.
It wasn’t until around 2007 that we found out that a family friend was in a position it see the waiting list, and could actually advise us on the status – she called with bad news – she wasn’t on the list. It appears that the GP never forwarded on his referral. The most confusing thing was, not the incompetence if the original GP, but the fact that we were mislead by the hospital for at least three years. The reason they’d “get back to us” was because they couldn’t find her on the list.
The best thing to do would be to start again. We went to a new GP, got a referral and few weeks following, and we got an appointment. It was for December 2008. Seeing as we had about ten months notice at the time, we were very much on time for the appointment.
We spoke to a doctor who sent us to get an MRI. We would then have to come back in a couple of week for the result.
When we returned, now early 2009, the doctor was dismayed at what he had found, not only were all her ligaments now almost dust, it appears that by going on for so long without treatment, she had worn her menisci down a considerable amount. The menisci are the little cushions that prevent the femur and tibia bones from rubbing together. The doctor concluded that she needed surgery as soon as possible and confirmed that I was wrong in saying that she “whines too much”, because this injury would make it painful to move.
We returned home and few days later got a letter saying that we were officially on the list and a date will be sent to us as soon as it comes available.
By August 2009, we got another letter, asking if my fiancée still required the surgery. We said yes.
In January 2010, we got two letters from the hospital. One letter asked if she still needed surgery, and the other was a request to get another referral and MRI as it has been so long since the consultation.
That’s right, because it has taken THEM so long, we must do it all over again to prove that her ACL and meniscus haven’t GROWN back.
We had said that at this moment she couldn’t have the surgery as we are now expecting our first child. Their response? Take her OFF the waiting list entirely.
Once she has recovered from childbirth, she would have to get another referral, another MRI and join the bottom of the list again.
She has been waiting for medical assistance that has been required since before I met her.
Since the injury, we met, we dated, we moved out together by renting a house, we got engaged, we bought a house and we are now happily pregnant.
The initial injury happened in 2003. It has been six years and she still hasn’t received the treatment she needs.
Even if one discounts the initial GP screw-up and counts it from the second time she stated the process. She has officially been on the waiting list for a knee reconstruction for 14 months.
As the injury isn’t life threatening and she can have a (relatively) normal life her surgery is “elective” and she is classed as a Category 2: for painful conditions. The maximum wait expected under the health department’s target is 90 days.
My fiancée has currently waited a full 365 days longer than the expected wait time. 2,100 days if one was to count time from the first doctors visit in 2003.
I really wish our story was unique, but it’s not – in some cases it’s even a mild story of how our health system is failing us.
And we do have American readers on this site, please let me assure you that it has nothing to do with a single payer system. In my opinion it has to do with priorities and the lack of forward thing by every state government for the last 20 years.
The big election item at the moment appears to be the health system. Our federal candidates have debated, fought and poked fun at each other over their health care plans. Tony Abbott in one corner has criticized the Government’s plan to effectively take over all hospitals and health services in every state, while KRudd has mocked Abbott for not have a health plan at all.
To be honest I don’t know if giving the health system to the federal Government is a good idea or not, one thing is for sure the way it is just does not work.
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, I don’t have a solution for this one, but one thing is clear – it must not be left off the list.
What Australia MUST do to advance: Part IV: Fix the Broken Health System
- db
