The Rural Doctors Association of Victoria concedes that the health system right across Victoria is under “enormous stress” following the death of a 72 year old local man who died while waiting to be seen in the emergency department at Bairnsdale Hospital.
The man, who had arrived at the hospital in an ambulance at around midday last Monday, following a fall at home, was still waiting to receive medical treatment almost four hours later.
He was still on an ambulance stretcher waiting to be seen by the hospital’s emergency department (ED), when he requested to go to the bathroom at about 3.30pm. While he was being assisted to the emergency department toilets, the man suffered a cardiac arrest and died inside the bathroom at 4.15pm. Trained medical staff were unable to resuscitate him.

IMAGES: Dr Rob Phair is president of the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria and often works at the Bairnsdale Hospital in the emergency department as senior medical officer.