Leaving your child unconscious on the surgery table, even for the most routine operation, is surely a test of anyone parent’s metal. Dressed in my blue slippers, blue surgery “hat” and white gown, my baby boy held my hand as the anaesthetist found the vein and eventually put him to sleep. “Unconscious” is different to “sleep”. You know how kids, even the overgrown ones in their teens, look peaceful when they’re asleep? Well unconscious is very different to that. It’s a little disturbing.
I’m so grateful to the staff of the Royal Children’s Hospital today. Within a couple of phonecalls on Tuesday, a Category 3 (procedure to take place within 365 days) due in October, was bought forward, first to September, and then to today. I’d mentioned how his leg was hurting and the staff were wonderful jumping the appointment forward.
I’ve written in the past about this {link to follow when I’m on a desktop}, and I guess this is part 2 of that story.
It’s so easy to judge Queensland Health – they’re an enormous bureaucracy, a system. And sure they have their faults. But I wanted to write a post that acknowledged the wonderful staff we’ve met. Today it was the committed, though wonderfully frazzled guy at Admissions. So many in this surgical clinic to get through, and yet he and his colleague got through all of us – taking time to explain things and then arrange volunteers to guide us to Day Procedure Clinic. There were the surgical team, each made us feel like we could ask anything, taking time to explain what was going to happen. They even let me walk into theatre and stay with him til be fell asleep. And tonight, as a day procedure unexpectedly turned to an overnight stay, the ward nursing staff have been fantastic.
Qld Health get the bad news stories all the time in the press. Sure systems break, but there are so many great professionals who do their work above and beyond, and in doing so, keep our loved ones healthy.
This week Medicare turned 40 years old. I’m one Australian who is truly grateful for our public health system. My boy has received probably tens of thousands of dollars in heathcare, (hours of physio, surgery, nursing) and the most expensive part of it for me as been the carparking.
Don’t take what we have for granted, as flawed as it maybe. We need to be careful, for it may disappear before we realise just how wonderful it was.