Horror hospital claims revealed in inquiry into Yorke Peninsula health services
A 83-year-old patient sat in agony for days after being misdiagnosed at an overstretched Yorke Peninsula hospital.
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An 83-year-old sat in agony for days after the under pressure Wallaroo Hospital wrongly diagnosed him with constipation, only for it be revealed it was a ruptured bowel.
The stroke sufferer, who was also battling prostate cancer, then suffered a fall in a Kadina nursing home and passed away despite calls from his family to have hand rails installed in his room.
The shocking claim is just one of 80 written submissions collected as part of a parliamentary inquiry into the Yorke Peninsula’s stretched health services.
In another shocking incident, a stroke patient awaiting treatment at the Wallaroo Hospital was told to not eat for 24 hours despite staff already feeding them three meals.
Despite waiting 36 hours for an ambulance to Adelaide, the family of the elderly man pulled him out of the hospital and drove him themselves as staff were “literally running between patients”.
Another respondent claimed the hospital is in a state of disrepair, with staff forced to stop roof leaks with buckets and equipment left in packed hallways.
It comes amid claims the region is struggling to attract qualified staff to the under siege 21-bed hospital, with the lack of affordable housing and childcare for potential staff to blame.
The inquiry is investigating the classification of Wallaroo Hospital and whether Port Pirie Hospital should be removed from the Yorke and Lower North Health Service.
It was prompted by a 10,000-signature petition calling for an overhaul and for Port Pirie to be moved into the neighbouring Flinders and Upper North network.
Local MP Fraser Ellis said a significant upgrade was needed for the Wallaroo Hospital to keep up the region’s growing and ageing population.
“It is comically undersized for a major hospital serving a large geographical area and, what I would say, is a large, ageing population,” Mr Ellis said.
The inquiry will hold public hearings at the Yorketown and Wallaroo town halls on Thursday and Friday this week.
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Originally published as Horror hospital claims revealed in inquiry into Yorke Peninsula health services
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