Breaking News
Devastated
Wendy Kay
03Aug07
Grieving parents Eddie and Jacky Kuysters rushed back from holiday with their terminally-ill daughter Melissa only to endure an appallingly long wait in the emergency department. Picture PAUL MELVILLE
DEVASTATED parents have spoken of their anguish at watching their dying daughter wait eight hours for a bed at Royal North Shore Hospital.
Eddy Kuysters and his wife Jacky said they were forced to endure an appalling night of neglect in the emergency department when they rushed their cancer-stricken daughter to the hospital on April 26.
The Kuysters were prompted to speak out by last week's North Shore Times coverage of the unacceptable waiting times at the hospital.
The health department is investigating the tragic saga although the Kuysters have yet to lodge a formal complaint.
``I have been very angry about this but we're still grieving, and at the time we were so concerned about our beautiful daughter we were in no shape to lodge a complaint to the hospital,'' Mr Kuysters said.
``The article in the paper triggered me to finally speak out.''
The Kuysters' 30-year-old daughter Melissa died at RNS Hospital on May 1 from cancer of the oesophagus.
She had been holidaying with her parents in New Zealand, but the family was forced to return to Australia early when Melissa's condition deteriorated dramatically. She was rushed to hospital from the airport.
``She got there at 6.45pm and wasn't offered a bed until 3am,'' Mr Kuysters said. ``It was obvious she wasn't well, she was walking like a 96-year-old.
``No-one attended to us, not even to give us pillows to make her more comfortable. I kept going up to reception and asking for help but nothing was done.''
Mrs Kuysters said the family didn't kick up a fuss because of their exhaustion and shock.
``We had to fight so hard to get her back home,'' she said. ``No one wants to take a dying girl on their plane, and getting clearance from doctors and the airlines took hours and hours of telephone calls and piles of paper work.
``We were also in tremendous shock because it was so unexpected. Melissa was working and playing competition bowling up until the day before we left for New Zealand.''
Although the hospital said it could not comment on the case until a formal complaint had been made by the Kuyster family, the health department launched an investigation after the matter was raised by the North Shore Times.
