My remedy for better Health

The Advertiser: My remedy for better Health: Hill :

"'There's no doubt it's a very pressured system to work within, but it is working. I think you can only apply the word `crisis' when something ceases to work."

I have seen nurses in public hospitals running from bed to bed . They may not be broken yet but they sure are stressed. They manage to put on a polite, friendly face. I have watched patients in corridors because there is no room or wards have been closed. I have watched dirty carpets and run down facilities. It may not be broken but if our public hospitals are still working , then it's a credit to the staff. I know one lady who was sent a couple of years ago from one hospital to another in a taxi and all her stitches broke. I know of someone left in the corridor who became completely forgotten. I had to find my mum's case notes because they had been running around so much they'd mislaid them. Someone had put them on top of shelves because they were trying to deal with a number of patients. Too many for the staff there. I sat with one lady having chemo because there was one nurse and she had to do the chemo for the incoming. It's not always like that, but state hospitals are under stress. The good will for the staff keeps them going...and I won't even talk about the mental health situation at this stage. I have nothing but praise for the people in the state system. Only one was a grumpy, nasty piece of work. Everyone else is remarkable pleasant and efficient inspite of the obvious strain on them.