REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Friday, September 24, 2004

HORROR stories about the state of the Gold Coast Hospital’s emergency department emerged as patients, staff and ambulance officers told of 12-hour waits and harried surgeons working massive shifts.

The Bulletin was flooded with calls, mostly from anonymous residents and hospital workers, about the emergency department.

Ambulances were diverted from the Southport hospital two days in a row during the week the story was published.

Logan Hospital and Tweed Hospital, where they would normally be sent in a bypass situation, were full but still took some emergency patients.

Three days earlier, emergency department staff were forced to treat patients inside ambulances that lined the driveway because there were no beds.

Sylvia Hogan said she was appalled at the treatment of her daughter-in-law, who suffers from kidney disease.

Ms Hogan said she did not want her daughter-in-law named because she may need treatment at the hospital again.

She said the 20-year-old had gone to emergency seven times over the weekend, waiting for hours at a time and was never seen.

“She was in incredible agony,’’ said Ms Hogan. “We were frantic. “Eventually we gave up, took her home and called an after-hours doctor who came and gave her something for the pain.

“But by Tuesday night it had really flared up again and we had to go back to the hospital.

“That was when things became absolutely ridiculous.’’