"Competing Health Priorities Ignored"

I was booked in for day surgery at Sydney Eye Hospital earlier this month for a deep cut on my finger.  I also have a Grade 3 PCL injury in my right knee and my rehabilitation program involves regular cycling to strengthen my quadriceps.

My surgery was cancelled at about 5pm after I had been fasting for the whole day and rescheduled for 48 hours later.  

I was advised not to get the open wound wet.  However the wound getting wet and sweaty is an inevitable outcome of cycling, which I need to do for my PCL recovery program.  No doctor seemed prepared to give me clear advice on how to manage the conflict between my PCL recovery and minimising infection risk prior to surgery.  Instead I was given generic and caveated advice along the lines of "Not having seen scans of your knee......".  This is unacceptable in my opinion.  I believe the hospital, having cancelled my surgery, should be obligated to give me advice specific to my competing health conditions.

Further, I felt that my broader healthcare needs were not considered by faceless decision makers, who did not speak to me before cancelling my surgery.  These decision makers left it to a Junior Medical Officer to deliver the news, when I believe they were clearly not in a position to provide advice on my competing medical needs.

Further, I felt consistently pressured by hospital staff to use my private medical insurance, hinting that this might be treated sooner.  Contrary to the assurances on the "My healthcare rights" poster prominently displayed at the hospital, no one ever gave me proper information about wait times or associated options.