Pensioner, 83, forced to wait in makeshift tent outside Melbourne’s Box Hill hospital

An elderly woman has been forced to wait outside an overflowing Melbourne hospital overnight in a “makeshift tent”.

An elderly woman has been forced to wait outside a Melbourne hospital overnight in a “makeshift tent”.

The 83-year old stroke patient arrived at Box Hill Hospital at around 4pm yesterday and was forced to wait in a corridor for three hours before being “upgraded” to a tent outside.

Her daughter said paramedics found her slumped in her chair at an aged care facility last night before she was rushed to hospital.

The hospital suggested she was showing signs of a stroke, but said it had partially resolved itself.

“We are still waiting for a bed on the ward,” the woman’s daughter, who wished to remain anonymous, told Nine News.

“It is heated, and the staff are doing their best. It‘s makeshift, but it’s still a tent.”

She said her mother was being looked after by nurses, and had been seen twice by a doctor. However, she revealed doctors wanted to send her home initially.

“The hospital staff said as she regained some movement and that they wanted to send her home,” the daughter said.

“I wasn‘t comfortable with that and the paramedic said they wouldn’t send her home until she gets a scan.

“I had to advocate and for her to get a scan and last night I pushed it again and she ended up getting one at 10pm.”

An elderly woman has been forced to wait outside a Melbourne hospital overnight in a “makeshift tent”.

The hospital suggested she was showing signs of a stroke, but said it had partially resolved itself.

The 83-year-old woman is reportedly still being attended to in the tent, where a makeshift hospital has been set up.

She has been there for almost an entire day.

“Ask yourself if this: ‘if it was your mother or grandmother, would you happy for her to be in a tent?” the daughter continued.

“This is not acceptable. Don‘t worry about building roads, improve our hospitals.

“We are in limbo and just waiting.”

Eastern Health Executive Director Clinical Operations Shannon Wight said the situation was an unfortunate outcome due to extreme pressure on the hospital system.

“While the health system is currently under a great deal of pressure, we constantly strive to deliver the best care for our community and our people are working tirelessly to provide exceptional care for all of our patients,” she said.