Public health system fails the coronavirus urgency test

Journalist Lachlan Moffet Gray leaving Royal North Shore hospital after getting tested for coronavirus. Picture: Jane Dempster

I was tested for coronavirus on Monday. If the majority of experiences are like mine, then as a country we are not prepared.

A few hours into my morning shift at The Australian on Monday, I was told I looked awful. I felt awful too, and was experiencing minor flu-like symptoms.

I decided to get tested for the sake of my co-workers.

When I called my Sydney GP, I was referred to the government’s Healthdirect hotline.

I was to explain my symptoms to a nurse who would then tell me what to do. I called Healthdirect and was put on hold. Forty minutes later I arrived at my GP’s ­office and was still on hold.

Luckily, my doctor agreed to see me anyway.

It occurred to me that I had just travelled more than half an hour by public transport. Coronavirus is a droplet-spread disease that survives on surfaces for days. If I was infectious, I could have easily passed the virus on to someone else. I resolved to walk home once tested and self-isolate.

It wasn’t so easy. My GP said I had to have a swab test taken at a nearby branch of a well-known pathology clinic. The woman who greeted me at the pathology clinic saw my mask, did a double take and shrieked. Pausing to put on a mask and rubber gloves, she pushed me out the door explaining that this branch did not do COVID-19 swabs, and that I would have to visit a branch in another suburb, and to call ahead first.

Each attempt to call was met with an occupied tone.

I made my way to the second clinic and attempted to call a few more times. Still getting no response, I walked in, was told they no longer did coronavirus swabs and was handed a list of 34 other clinics to visit, most of which closed at 3pm. There were only two clinics within a reasonable distance. I called both several times to no answer.

When I arrived at the next clinic, I was told that I could have a swab test ... next Thursday.

I attempted to explain I couldn’t return to work until I was tested. The receptionist told me to visit the clinic I had just come from.

I sat down and called my doctor for advice. She was unaware that not every location of this pathology clinic offered testing and said I should try the Royal North Shore emergency room.

I called the hospital and was told I “probably” could get tested at the emergency department.

By this point it was near 1pm. I had been running around and ­potentially spreading diseased droplets all over town for hours.

Once I arrived at the hospital, I was directed to a dedicated pathology station and was seen in less than half an hour.

“You’ll get the results soon,” one of the wonderful health workers told me before sticking a swab up my nose. “They’re taking it pretty seriously.”

I highly doubt that I do have coronavirus. And this is just one man’s experience.

But what if this happened to someone who was seriously ill, or someone who didn’t speak ­English well, or wasn’t able-­bodied? Attempting to navigate the health system would put both their health and the health of ­others at risk.

A clearer path to diagnosis is a necessity.