A Perth mother “almost had to beg” to get urgent specialist medical care for her chronically ill 15-month-old son after missing specialist appointments due to Health Department bungles.
Jessica Sullivan’s son Cody has a range of complex and painful medical conditions, requiring specialist help.
But Ms Sullivan said Cody had been left waiting in pain for weeks by an inefficient appointments system that had alerted her to appointments after they occurred.
“What can you do? You just keep ringing, and keep ringing, almost to the point of begging for them to see your child,” Ms Sullivan said.
“They’ll tell you there are a lot of other kids that are way worse.
“Which I understand, and I hope they are never in my position.”
Cody’s medical conditions affect his gastrointestinal tract and result in bloating and pain.
At one point, his belly button popped out and a toenail fell off due to swelling.
Appointment letter ‘arrived too late’
But his mother said he had missed several important appointments with a gastroenterologist because letters advising of the appointment arrived after the scheduled appointment time.
State Opposition Health spokesman Roger Cook said in an $8 billion public health system, it simply was not good enough.
“Parents shouldn’t have to beg to have their kids receive the treatment they need, particularly for painful, debilitating symptoms that Cody is facing,” Mr Cook said.
Ms Sullivan and her son were in State Parliament as Mr Cook raised Ms Sullivan’s case and several other similar issues with Health Minister Kim Hames.
Dr Hames acknowledged the concerns, but said the central referral system had handled nearly 255,000 referrals since February 2014, and sometimes there were mistakes.
“We’ve got 255,000 referrals in 20 months. That’s a huge number and it’s going to be the case that occasionally things stuff up,” he said.
“The hospitals try really hard. They have a huge volume of people to deal with. And they’re trying their best to get people in as quickly as they can.
“Our hospitals to their absolute best. They work exceptionally hard. There are occasionally going to be people who fall between the cracks. We try to fix them when they occur.”
Family stressed by delays
But speaking outside Parliament, Mr Cook said the system was not working effectively.
“I can’t understand why the Government is simply trying to brush this off as basically saying this sort of stuff happens all the time,” Mr Cook said.
Ms Sullivan said her son’s illness and delays in treatment and support had put a lot of pressure and stress on her and her family.
She said she was left with little option but to keep pushing and do the best she could to ease Cody’s discomfort.
“Sometimes you’re able to get in sooner. Other times you have to wait. It’s just what you have to do,” she said.
“As a parent, you do things at home to try and help him. Visit the GP a lot. And try and find people to support you while you are waiting.”