Last month I was on a plane flight from Melbourne to Sydney and the passenger next to me was complaining about Melbourne's health system. She was upset that she couldn't get elective surgery when she wanted it and had to go private. High expectations indeed!
I didn't debate the topic with her at the time because it was a sensitive topic for me. What she didn't know was the day before I was in the hospital all day with my mum who passed away after a long battle with Motor Neurone Disease. As you can imagine it was a challenging time for me and my family and the staff at the Austin Hospital were simply amazing. I had nothing but gratitude for the kindness and respect they showed to me and my family.
How often do we stop and say thank you?
The day was a blur. After the Ambulance arrived at Emergency and we were rushed right into the ward. Dr Kim was efficient and effective, giving us full confidence in her capability. Once they stabilized her, we were given a room and several nurses to check on her regularly. We were never rushed. They then moved her to a private room in a ward to make us more comfortable and gave us a private outbreak room to use also. The move required several other specialist Doctors and Physiotherapists who were all extremely capable and compassionate. They checked on us regularly and gave us privacy and support. We had a dozen people help us all day and it didn't cost us anything. I was amazed.
A lot of people complain about paying taxes or hospital waiting times, but when you really need these services because you are genuinely sick, they are amazing.
The reason I write this blog is I didn't get a chance to thank the staff. I didn't even get their names. So to all the staff that helped my family at The Austin Hospital last month - thank you. It was another day at work for you, but your kindness was something I will appreciate ongoing.
Having this experience made me appreciate all of the services we take for granted each day in this country. Police who come when you have a security issue; Armed services who protect us from afar; Fire services who risk their lives putting out fires when we evacuate to a safe distance; Doctors, Nurses, and allied health providers who treat us for free when we are ill or injured and Social Workers who support us when we are most vulnerable. All of which I have been involved in recently.
It is easy to bitch and moan about waiting in emergency for a few hours, not getting your knee operation when you want it and the complexity of the system. But if you have ever traveled outside Australia you will realise we are so lucky, so be grateful for the health services we have.
Let's be more grateful for what we have.
