More victims come forward horror stories on waiting list

Andrew Mathieson
A teenager left with a broken foot for two years is among waiting list horror stories emerging from Geelong Hospital.
Daniel Fullerton revealed his agony after the Independent reported two weeks ago on the plight of a Newcomb mother left on the list with a dislocated jaw for nine months.
Other stories to emerge this week included a seven-year-old boy facing a two-year wait to remove his enlarged tonsils and a 74-year-old woman who waited five years to see a doctor about severe varicose vein problems only to then have her surgery postponed for five months.
The stories prompted State Government to admit it “can do better” on health in Geelong.
Seventeen-year-old Daniel has been left carrying a crushed metal plate and five damaged toes including a pinkie “hook” toe that stands upright.
Daniel suffered his injury when a motorcycle foot peg tore a hole the size of a 10-cent piece in his foot Easter Sunday, 2008.
He said doctors placed him on a category-two waiting list to repair the foot within 90 days.
The pain has left Daniel unable to walk for long periods or to put on boots despite painkillers, ruling out a trade apprenticeship or returning to school, he said.
“If I go out for tea or out with mates, I’ll try to put shoes on but after 40 minutes or so walking around it starts aching too much.”
Doctors had inserted three wire pins to keep his toes straight but Daniel had since accidentally snapped the plate.
X-rays had since revealed several broken bones floating inside his foot, he said.
“Doctors say they have to re-straighten it and, if they can’t, they’ll have to cut it off.”
A spokesperson for Minister for Health, Daniel Andrews, admitted the State Government “knows we can do better” but backed Barwon Health medical staff.
“Doctors make decisions when patients get their treatment in terms of urgency and priority,” the spokesperson said.
The Government had injected “record” funding into Barwon Health to invest in cutting elective-surgery waiting lists to treat patients sooner, he said.
A recent report found that 68 per cent of Barwon Health’s category-two patients underwent surgery within a benchmark 90 days.