November 12, 2025 • 5 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Zach contacted us earlier in the week to tell us
about how he had to wait three hours for an
X ray follow up appointment for his son for an infection.
As I understand it, from two years ago. Zach is
on the line with me this morning. Good morning, Zach,
Good morning, ketty mate. Thanks so much for your time.
Can you describe to us what happened?
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Yeah, so we've from twenty twenty three my son had
a hip infection osteo mylitis osteoarthritis of the right hip,
and we've had regular follow ups with the Royal DWNE Hospital,
all of which have been quite the same sort of
follow up as well. We had an appointment there booked
for the follow up with a doctor at one forty
five pm. We arrived a bit early. There's a regular
(00:45):
sign when you go into the patient's clinic that says
expected waits on one to three hours. That's what we've
seen every year since being there as well. We didn't
get seen again until four when the name was called
saying hey, you guys need an X ray, to which
we went down to the public X Ray out patients
Clinic X Ray only to be told that they were
(01:07):
shut and to be redirected to the emergency department or
an X ray. Over there, there were six or seven
people waiting in front of us, and some others from
the out patients clinic there as well, and we'd had
both of our kids there at the time, so we'd
circled back and gone back to the app patients clinic
just after four thirty, only to find out that they
were shut as well. There were still nurses by an account,
and we were like, hey, we can't wait that long.
(01:29):
We've got two kids that are hungry and that's already
been three hours. Can we what can we do? And
they're like, oh, we'll get a consultant to see straight away.
Twenty minutes later, the colts because consultant had moved my
son's tip around and then said, we're going to need
an X ray. Can you come back tomorrow. We've been
waiting there for three hours for no reason at that point, so.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
That would make me rage. Listening to that makes me cross,
Like it makes me really cross. I think there's nothing
more important than your time. We understand that the system's
under stress, but to have your two kids there as
well waiting for that period, and then I mucked around
in that way would make me quite furious. Did you
go back the next day? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
So we went back the next morning eight o'clock. I
went down to the public X ray. I was told
that my paper was on top of the list, so
we sat down. I'd just finished work that morning, so
I handed over with my partner had the kids, and
we were waiting in the hospital. She'd ducked off to work,
and then at that point I was just sitting in
the hospital waiting. An hour ticked by, and I'd sort
of gone up to the counter and I'd suggested, hey,
(02:27):
there's signs there saying if you'd been waiting more than
thirty minutes, let the staff know. I let the stuff know,
and they said, oh, they've just come out of a
really big meeting. They should be with you shortly. I'd
rocked up at eight when the clinic could open and
wasn't told this information, which was even more infuriating. I said,
what am I doing here an hour early? Then, only
to wait another thirty five minutes to finally get in.
By that point, my son had cracked it and wasn't
(02:48):
real happy with he's getting his X ray taken, But
it's kids, unfortunately, But it's just frustrating, and that is
really not the first time that's happened. I can plan
back in twenty twenty three the exact same complaint, which
wasn't reply to. I did again the other day, and
I've also been to the Commission all is met with
IDNT Health need to take this up.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
And like the thing is that's you know, this is
what I was trying to say to the CEO a
little bit earlier as well, is like we all understand
that we can go through pretty ordinary situations at different times,
you know, through the health department or through any service
that's being delivered. But then when you make a complaint,
what your hope is is that other people, other families
are not then in the same situation that yours was in.
(03:29):
And I just don't know whether anything like this is
actually going to change within our health system.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, exactly right. And that's where I'm at with it
as well, because this health system has been on the
decline the entire time I've been in the territory, and
I was born in Gove and I've lived up here
for most of my life now and it's really unfortunate
to see it in this state, and as Chris had
alluded to, like if it's built pre cycling tracy and
we're still dealing with this, but often we see things
tacked onto it. This five to ten year plan for
(03:58):
a new facility should have started ten twenty years ago, exactly.
We're talking about fifty years in the making already, and
it's it's like, oh, okay, well, what's the problem here,
what's wrong?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Well, that's it. And then the concern that I've got
is if we can't get bloody thirty million from the
federal government for maternity services, how are we going to
get billions for a brand new hospital?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Exactly right. And I'm not sure who actually props up
the Royal Bown Hospital, whether it's the mt government or
federal government, but we're looking into misspending. I think there's
plenty across the field that can get us more than
ten million dollars for a digital system, you know, to
be implemented that was supposed to be done tot of time.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Well, mate, I really appreciate you having a chat with
us this morning.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Zach.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
How's your son? Can I ask?
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Yeah, he's good. They did want to review whether his
ship was growing appropriately because a bit of that infection
ate into his bone, and so he should expect arthritis
in his mid twenty sort of thing. It shouldn't affect
him as a child, but will affect him as an
adult regardless. But yeah, the thankfully little girl has got
nothing going on at the moment.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Oh mate, Well, look, lots of love to your family,
and I hope your young fella's okay. I know that
stuff like that can be really tough, but I bet
you he's a strapping young man who will make the
most of life and he'll be all right.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, no doubt. And I think the biggest thing I
want to impart two is it's not the quality of
care that you receive once you get that care, it's
just everything in between that really makes that a painful
place to visit.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Hey, you are spot on, I reckon. That is a
really good point to make. You know, when you actually
get seen, the quality of the care that you're receiving,
you know, ninety nine percent of the time is excellent,
but it's getting to that point of being seen.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, Zach, thanks so much for having a chat with
us this morning. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Not a protm thank you, thank you, thanks so much.
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Zach contacted us earlier in the week to tell us
about how he had to wait three hours for an
X ray follow up appointment for his son for an infection.
As I understand it, from two years ago. Zach is
on the line with me this morning. Good morning, Zach,
Good morning, ketty mate. Thanks so much for your time.
Can you describe to us what happened?
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Yeah, so we've from twenty twenty three my son had
a hip infection osteo mylitis osteoarthritis of the right hip,
and we've had regular follow ups with the Royal DWNE Hospital,
all of which have been quite the same sort of
follow up as well. We had an appointment there booked
for the follow up with a doctor at one forty
five pm. We arrived a bit early. There's a regular
(00:45):
sign when you go into the patient's clinic that says
expected waits on one to three hours. That's what we've
seen every year since being there as well. We didn't
get seen again until four when the name was called
saying hey, you guys need an X ray, to which
we went down to the public X Ray out patients
Clinic X Ray only to be told that they were
(01:07):
shut and to be redirected to the emergency department or
an X ray. Over there, there were six or seven
people waiting in front of us, and some others from
the out patients clinic there as well, and we'd had
both of our kids there at the time, so we'd
circled back and gone back to the app patients clinic
just after four thirty, only to find out that they
were shut as well. There were still nurses by an account,
and we were like, hey, we can't wait that long.
(01:29):
We've got two kids that are hungry and that's already
been three hours. Can we what can we do? And
they're like, oh, we'll get a consultant to see straight away.
Twenty minutes later, the colts because consultant had moved my
son's tip around and then said, we're going to need
an X ray. Can you come back tomorrow. We've been
waiting there for three hours for no reason at that point, so.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
That would make me rage. Listening to that makes me cross,
Like it makes me really cross. I think there's nothing
more important than your time. We understand that the system's
under stress, but to have your two kids there as
well waiting for that period, and then I mucked around
in that way would make me quite furious. Did you
go back the next day? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
So we went back the next morning eight o'clock. I
went down to the public X ray. I was told
that my paper was on top of the list, so
we sat down. I'd just finished work that morning, so
I handed over with my partner had the kids, and
we were waiting in the hospital. She'd ducked off to work,
and then at that point I was just sitting in
the hospital waiting. An hour ticked by, and I'd sort
of gone up to the counter and I'd suggested, hey,
(02:27):
there's signs there saying if you'd been waiting more than
thirty minutes, let the staff know. I let the stuff know,
and they said, oh, they've just come out of a
really big meeting. They should be with you shortly. I'd
rocked up at eight when the clinic could open and
wasn't told this information, which was even more infuriating. I said,
what am I doing here an hour early? Then, only
to wait another thirty five minutes to finally get in.
By that point, my son had cracked it and wasn't
(02:48):
real happy with he's getting his X ray taken, But
it's kids, unfortunately, But it's just frustrating, and that is
really not the first time that's happened. I can plan
back in twenty twenty three the exact same complaint, which
wasn't reply to. I did again the other day, and
I've also been to the Commission all is met with
IDNT Health need to take this up.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
And like the thing is that's you know, this is
what I was trying to say to the CEO a
little bit earlier as well, is like we all understand
that we can go through pretty ordinary situations at different times,
you know, through the health department or through any service
that's being delivered. But then when you make a complaint,
what your hope is is that other people, other families
are not then in the same situation that yours was in.
(03:29):
And I just don't know whether anything like this is
actually going to change within our health system.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, exactly right. And that's where I'm at with it
as well, because this health system has been on the
decline the entire time I've been in the territory, and
I was born in Gove and I've lived up here
for most of my life now and it's really unfortunate
to see it in this state, and as Chris had
alluded to, like if it's built pre cycling tracy and
we're still dealing with this, but often we see things
tacked onto it. This five to ten year plan for
(03:58):
a new facility should have started ten twenty years ago, exactly.
We're talking about fifty years in the making already, and
it's it's like, oh, okay, well, what's the problem here,
what's wrong?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Well, that's it. And then the concern that I've got
is if we can't get bloody thirty million from the
federal government for maternity services, how are we going to
get billions for a brand new hospital?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Exactly right. And I'm not sure who actually props up
the Royal Bown Hospital, whether it's the mt government or
federal government, but we're looking into misspending. I think there's
plenty across the field that can get us more than
ten million dollars for a digital system, you know, to
be implemented that was supposed to be done tot of time.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Well, mate, I really appreciate you having a chat with
us this morning.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Zach.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
How's your son? Can I ask?
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Yeah, he's good. They did want to review whether his
ship was growing appropriately because a bit of that infection
ate into his bone, and so he should expect arthritis
in his mid twenty sort of thing. It shouldn't affect
him as a child, but will affect him as an
adult regardless. But yeah, the thankfully little girl has got
nothing going on at the moment.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Oh mate, Well, look, lots of love to your family,
and I hope your young fella's okay. I know that
stuff like that can be really tough, but I bet
you he's a strapping young man who will make the
most of life and he'll be all right.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, no doubt. And I think the biggest thing I
want to impart two is it's not the quality of
care that you receive once you get that care, it's
just everything in between that really makes that a painful
place to visit.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Hey, you are spot on, I reckon. That is a
really good point to make. You know, when you actually
get seen, the quality of the care that you're receiving,
you know, ninety nine percent of the time is excellent,
but it's getting to that point of being seen.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, Zach, thanks so much for having a chat with
us this morning. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Not a protm thank you, thank you, thanks so much.
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