Shocking photos show dire state of Aussie hospital: 'Inundated beyond belief'
Hospitals across the country remain under pressure with NSW nurses striking this week over pay and working conditions.
Confronting images show the dire state of a busy Sydney hospital, with many patients reportedly forced to sleep on the floor as the emergency department continues to struggle and the state government comes under pressure from health workers.
Patients visiting Blacktown's new emergency room claim they're being made to wait for hours, sometimes up to 12, before receiving care. It's an issue Shadow Health Minister Kellie Sloane said "needs to be addressed".
"Something is going very wrong at the moment at Blacktown emergency department," she said on Wednesday.
NSW Premier Chris Minns admits "there’s a major stress on our public hospitals". "We want to do better when it comes to health outcomes," he added.
His comments come as images obtained by 7News show the conditions patients and nurses are dealing with. One image reportedly shows a woman who arrived by ambulance at 10am one morning last month. She is pictured laying on the emergency room floor at 8.30am. Hours passed before she was eventually able to move.
A family member of the woman told 7News the emergency room was "inundated beyond belief" and that she was one of "several other patients" forced to sleep on the floor.
Meanwhile, others reportedly claimed they "had nothing to eat" and one was left for "five hours with no oxygen".
A nurse who works at the hospital reportedly claimed it is a "common occurrence".
Photo of young boy with cancer shows dire state of Aussie hospitals
Picture shows how NSW hospitals are under 'enormous pressure'
Frustrated nurses go on strike
On Tuesday, NSW nurses and midwives walked off the job, striking for 12 hours after a demand for a 15-per cent rise was rejected as hospitals, including emergency departments, remain under pressure.
NSW Premier Chris Minns copped an earful from one exasperated nurse live on radio on Tuesday. She, like many of her colleagues, admitted she was at breaking point.
"I am beyond exhausted," she said, calling in to to 2GB's Ben Fordham show to voice her concerns.
"It is about the money, but we have so many more important things that we have to fight for as well. It's not safe anymore — for nurses and for patients — you need to walk through a NSW hospital to see that for yourself."
However, defending the government's stance on the matter, Minns said it's simply not within the state budget to cater to a 15 per cent increase over three years — which he explained would equate to over $6.5 billion — that he said would open the flood gates for police, teachers and other public sector employees to come "knocking at my door".
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