"Long waiting list for potentially life-threatening illness"

Last year, my doctor referred me to see a specialist at Eastern Health in Box Hill, after placing me in a 'high risk' illness group. The doctor found I had abnormal cells and was quite concerned about them, saying they could potentially lead to cervical cancer if unchecked and not treated. They faxed through the details to the hospital straight away.  It took a while for them to get back to me, and even then, I was told by a very generic letter that I was put on a waiting list (despite being in the high-risk group?!).

Many months later, I was sent another letter asking if I still wanted to remain on the waiting list!  Were they serious?!  I have a disability for one and cannot afford private health cover as it is, so I don't have a choice.  I need them to carry out the colposcopy.  I then rang them to ask what was happening, as my doctor was also becoming quite frustrated, saying they had done the same to a number of patients and the doctor was not happy about it.

What I believe to be the hospital's lack of time management and organisational skills and lack of care for patients (where we appear to all just be numbers to them, if not, less than that), is, in my opinion, not only negligent but also an absolute disgrace, I believe considering there are women who have serious high-risk cells that need to be checked out and treated if they are cancerous.

In the last couple of months, my uterus has been burning with a dull throbbing pain in my pelvis.  My doctor said it's becoming more urgent that I get that colposcopy, as they can't recommend or do anything until they know what is happening down there for sure.  The hospital has the power to save lives and heal lives at risk - yet, in my opinion, this is what they choose to do instead.

I am absolutely disgusted and something needs to be done.  If my uterine cells turn into cancer while I am on this ridiculously long and, I feel, unnecessary waiting list, I will be taking things further, via legal channels.  The amount of stress and anxiety caused by this waiting is intolerable.  I've had enough!  Get your act together, Eastern Health - in my opinion this is not good enough and it's very negligent!