Originally Posted by Grace Oz
Have to correct you on this point; some private hospitals do indeed have emergency departments. Their opening hours are often limited, but there are private hospitals in Australia with an ED.
Hi Grace...hope you had a memorable ANZAC day!
I am aware that a few private hospitals claim to have Emergency Departments. One that is only open during certain hours from where I'm sitting does not acknowledge the implications of an emergency! What happens when that emergency comes in 5 minutes before closing? An ambulance is called faster than you can say triple 0. I can recall the private hospital that (of course this doesn't get reported) opened up the doors of it's "Emergency" department to find the patient dead at the door with the claw marks on the glass above where he lay. Most of the few private hospitals that have these departments are annexed to a public hospital that picks up the pieces when things get tricky. Public hospitals often bear the burden of the mortality statistics as a result. Some "private" hospitals are under public health Area Health Authority contracts and are funded on the basis that they have to provide 50% of their beds to public patients which are funded by the public purse. They have EDs, but of course they are accredited and monitored by the Health Department and sit under their standards.
The ambulance services do not transport patients requiring
emergency care to stand alone private hospitals. To me, this by itself, speaks volumes. I know, if I required emergency or complex care, where I would rather be.
Would you like to comment?
