Long hospital wait

By Lia Bichel
A BERWICK man who waited three hours to see a doctor last week before his appendix ruptured is calling for a ticket system at clinics and hospitals.
Peter Williams, 44, said he believed a ticket system, similar to one at supermarkets, would help ease the frustrations from anxious patients in waiting rooms.
Mr Williams said last Monday, he had excruciating abdomen pain and waited for two hours in the Casey Superclininc waiting room.
After the two-hour wait, Mr Williams was told by staff they thought he was already tended to and the doctor who was meant to see him had gone home.
Mr Williams waited another hour before he was seen by a doctor and told to go to Dandenong Hospital for surgery.
At the Dandenong Hospital, Mr Williams waited 45 minutes before his appendix ruptured and he was scheduled for surgery the next morning.
“I was in pain all day and my wife insisted I go to a doctor. I tried to get into my normal doctor’s clinic but they were booked out. I was told it would be an hour and a half wait at the Superclinic but went anyway,” he said.
“I am usually never sick, so I was in a bit of shock about how the system works. Everyone was very nice and apologetic, but I just thought there needed to be a better system- like a ticket system. If they can afford to have a television and a coffee machine, they can have a ticket system. People don’t care about what’s on TV when they are in pain, they want to know when they are going to be seen.”
A spokesperson for Southern Health, which runs Dandenong Hospital, said while Southern Health cannot comment specifically on this matter, Emergency Departments treated those with an urgent clinical priority before treating those that are assessed as being less urgent.
“Although we can certainly sympathise with anyone who finds themselves unwell, priority must be given to those with urgent life-saving needs,” the spokesperson said.
“A ticketing system may work in a supermarket deli but not a hospital emergency department where patients are treated in a time critical manner.”
Allied Medical Group, who owns Casey Superclinic, did not provide a response.