My elderly father was brought to Bendigo Health by ambulance with severe back and hip pain, he was unable to walk and was crawling around the house. He was admitted to the new Bendigo Hospital that same day and remained there undiagnosed for almost 2 weeks.
Whilst the facilities are new and the staff are accommodating, the process for managing patients appears to need considerable improvement.
My father was told by various staff after he had an x-ray that he needed a hip replacement, had sciatica, was having muscle spasms. There was a reluctance to give him a CT or MRI because it would be a waste of time. After some pressure from family members, a CT scan was carried out, but we were not given an explanation about the results until discharge.
On the day he was able to go home he was told he needed to see an orthopaedic surgeon, although he had not seen one for his entire stay. After waiting, he was told by the ortho that he has two broken vertebrae and that the ortho didn’t do backs so he would have to see his GP and get a referral to see someone in Melbourne.
It is my summation of the experience that my father was admitted to hospital so that his private health fund could be charged. He was left without any genuine investigation into his condition and was kept in hospital for as long as his health fund was prepared to pay.
I believe that this 500-million-dollar white elephant appears to be grossly under-resourced.
"Hospital admission"
About: Bendigo Hospital Bendigo Hospital Bendigo 3552
Posted by hekazc88 (as ),
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