"Lack of vital paediatric heart equipment"

My child was born with a very complex congenital heart condition. They received lifesaving surgery at 1 day old, 4 months and again at 5 years old at the Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick.

Some time before their second surgery, they had unexplained coughing up of large amounts of blood. I drove them to Emergency at Sutherland Hospital where they were observed and shortly after vomited up black (old blood). My child remained there for a few hours before they were admitted to the children's ward. We asked for my child to have an Echocardiogram to check their heart but were shocked and terrified to be told that there is no paediatric echocardiogram at Sutherland Hospital. 

My child coughed up more blood and required oxygen and we begged the hospital to transfer them to Westmead Heart Centre for Children for treatment.  In the anxious time waiting for the transfer to arrive, our child deteriorated terribly and coughed up more blood and their oxygen levels plummeted to a dangerous level of 45. The worst part was we were in a hospital that couldn't help my child.

Their life was in real danger as they were not able to even tell us what was wrong with my child, what was causing the bleeding or even scan their heart. It took a gruelling 3 hours for their ambulance transfer to arrive and we felt a little safer knowing that they were going to a hospital that could help them.

I urge this hospital to better equip this hospital that services thousands of people. I believe that if Sutherland Hospital does not have paediatric echocardiogram technology, then ambulances should be able to bypass this hospital and drive patients straight to the Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick or Westmead.