Woman's 'shocking' stay in public hospital

Lyn Call was expecting the worst when she first set foot inside the Nambour General Hospital.

NOT ENOUGH CREDIT: Lyn Call wants people to stop knocking the public health system. Picture: Patrick Woods

Lyn Call was expecting the worst when she first set foot inside the Nambour General Hospital.

As a public health patient, the Buderim resident had heard all the "horror stories” from those who received sub-par care in the past.

"I naturally assumed that you wouldn't get the same amount of service that you would get being a private patient,” she said.

Yet what started as a negative perception of the public health system turned into an experience Mrs Call "couldn't believe”.

"My overnight stay was just amazing,” she said.

"I couldn't have faulted it at all. Right down to helping us where to park, it was the little things that really made it.”

Feeling uncomfortable from foot surgery was overshadowed by the level of care the hospital provided, Mrs Call said.

"I had one gentleman knock on the door three times just to see that I was OK, and I was super impressed with that,” she said.

"I was treated top-notch as far as I was concerned, because you're not just on the computer there, you're a patient.”

From the receptionist to the nurses, the friendliness of all the staff was what stood out to Mrs Call the most.

"They were happy to give me anything I required, if you were in pain you would ring the bell and they were there straight away,” she said.

After Mrs Call's "excellent” stay, she now has one message for her fellow Coast residents.

"Don't knock our hospital system,” she said.

"These people do work really hard and are great at what they do. There's not enough credit given to all the nurses and doctors in the public health system.”