Long wait to health

LIA BICHEL
A BERWICK woman is angry with the waiting time to see a specialist at Casey Hospital.
Jade, a mother of two who asked not to use her surname, said she had chronic urine retention and was an outpatient at Casey Hospital on 26 March. Jade, 33, was catheterised, had blood tests and sent home.
Jade said last week she received a phone call to say she could not get a urology appointment until 15 May.
“I am disgusted at how long I have to wait. I know it’s not the nurses fault because they are all under the pump, but I wonder where has all the (State Government) funding gone,” Jade said.
“You have to basically be bleeding and dying before you get seen.
“I don’t know what it is that I have. I don’t drink or smoke and am healthy, so it’s not right for someone my age to have their bladder stop working. I just think an urologist should see me to see if it is life-threatening.”
But Suzana Talevski, a spokeswoman for Southern Health, said all urology outpatients appointments were triaged according to the urgency.
Jade said until she was seen by a specialist, she had to get catheter bags from the hospital because they were not sold at the chemist.
She said she had to pay for parking each time she made a trip to the hospital.
But Ms Talevski said a one-month supply of catheter bags was given to patients who required them until a clinical plan was determined.
“Additional supply of catheter bags are available from the urology unit at the hospital if contacted by the individual patient at no cost,” Ms Talevski said.
“Patients who require catheter bags on a long-term basis are able to access them at no charge through the state-wide equipment program once a clinical pathway has been determined for the patient.”
Ms Talevski also said Casey Hospital had a public car park that charged a max of $5.50 per day that was usually only at 60 per cent capacity. She said there was also parking available in the street at no cost.
A spokesperson for the Minister for Health David Davis said Southern Health received a funding increase of $33 million this past year. The spokesperson said all referrals to health services were clinically prioritised and should the condition of a patient deteriorate, they would be re-prioritised.