Share your experience of travelling to Brisbane for medical treatment

By
Michael Gorey
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3

A call has gone out on social media for people to share their experiences of travelling from Bundaberg to Brisbane for medical treatment.

Are you required to travel from Bundaberg region to Brisbane to access health care services? Would you like to share…

Posted by Breaking down the barriers for Rural patients in city hospitals – Brisbane on Friday, February 22, 2019

People with stories to tell are asked to message Gary Hondow, who writes: “Anyone interested in being involved in a video interview with wbhhs to give a consumer’s perspective on what the benefits of having a new hospital with more services built in Bundaberg? Wanting elderly and people forced to travel regularly.”

Several people have already volunteered to assist.

Carmen Prendergast writes: “I used to live in the Bundaberg region, I used to be travelling four hours to see a thoracic specialist at the Prince Alfred Hospital in Brisbane, eight-hour round trip and most of the time it was a 9-9.30 appointment. Being unwell the trip took a lot out of me, I'd sleep for two days afterwards. Having a specialist in Bundaberg would greatly improve the quality of patients' lives.”

Online petition launched

Mayor Jack Dempsey last year launched a petition asking the State Government to commit funds for a new Level 5 hospital in Bundaberg.

Mayor Dempsey said the Government should build a new hospital, instead of refurbishing the current facility.

“Medical staff and patients deserve the best-possible conditions in a modern-state-of-the-art hospital,” he said.

The online petition currently has 1144 signatures and can still be signed.

If people would like to share their experiences with Bundaberg Now we'll pass them onto the Mayor for him to raise with the Minister for Health.

Leave comments here or on our Facebook page or email news@bundabergnow.com.

In January, the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Board reassured the community the $3 million business case for a new or significantly refurbished Bundaberg Hospital was pressing ahead as planned.

Board Chair Peta Jamieson said the business case was currently being finalised, after Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service received the funding and undertook a comprehensive consultation and development process throughout 2018.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Hi, I would benefit by having a foot specialist in Bundaberg as I have to travel to Brisbane for a 10-minute consultation that takes me an 8-hour round trip for my husband and I. We have to go by train as we couldn’t drive 8 hours in one day and I’m sure we are not the only ones. Also I have to get orthotics posted from Brisbane and if they need adjusting we have to send them back and forth by mail.

  2. My dad would travel by train to The Wesley in Brisbane for cancer treatment every 28 days (2017-2018). He preferred the train as he could move around. The problem was at the Brisbane station other trains were on the tilt train platform so he had to walk a long way to get out of the station, which when your old and weak was a killer.

    Also when Icon closed in Bundy the replacement service was a nightmare. His blood for transfusions was never there, chemo drugs not there, no contact with his Brisbane Dr, this stressed him a lot going there on those days.

    Why fix something that wasn’t broken, oh that’s right money. The new place was cheaper to run apparently but it added stress to dad knowing he was going there on those days and more stress was not what was needed at that time.

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