Extended hospital stays for amputees unnecessary
Outdated prosthetics and extended hospital stays for amputees are still common within the New South Wales (NSW) health system despite a review seven years ago.
Doctors, amputees and prosthetic limb makers say patients are languishing in hospitals waiting for out-dated prosthetic limbs according to an ABC News report.
One such patient, Sarah Hilt, lost four limbs after getting meningococcal disease five years ago.
Ms Hilt has spent over $50,000 to get superior prosthetic limbs rather than the basic ones provided by the state government, which did not meet her needs.
“The first leg that I received had a locked knee joint. They were asking me to walk around with a stiff leg,” she said.
“Why does the health system put so many resources into keeping people alive if they then just throw us on the rubbish heap and expect us to stay at home?”
According to the report, doctors say amputee care has not improved since a review in 2003.
Newcastle rehabilitation specialist, Dr Lee Laycock, says amputees have to wait for months in Hunter Valley hospitals to get artificial limbs. They then receive substandard interfaces connecting limbs to their bodies.
“People [are] staying in hospital until the three-month mark. The cost is phenomenal.
“The NSW artificial limb service can only really provide a standard interface which is characteristic of the 1980s,” he said.
Sydney prosthetic limb-maker, Harvey Blackney, says the worries are widespread in his industry.
“We’re just really concerned about how we’re going to deliver services in the future. Unless there’s sensible planning for the long term, amputees are going to battle to access services,” he said.
NSW Health rejects the claims that services have not improved. It says it provides modern artificial limb technology and focuses on early mobilisation.
