NSW Health: My sister and I saw the collapse of care at a Sydney public hospital

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My sister and I saw the collapse of care at a public hospital

Marie Healy General practitioner October 20, 2025 — 6.30pm Advertisement

Dedicated and kind, my sister was named nurse of the year once; we jokingly referred to her as NOTY. She retired early due to Parkinson’s disease, the tremor developing when we were nursing our dying mother.

Her bent, painful and diminished life has, since then, consisted of a slow shuffle between doctors, hospitals and other health-related services. After one procedure, my sister developed pancreatitis, a painful and toxic condition. I took her to the emergency department of a large Sydney teaching hospital where she was eventually seen by an overwhelmed intern. Her pain was excruciating, worsened by the hard