No wifi creates patient disconnection

THE absence of wifi connectivity at Wangaratta's public hospital has caused frustration for a patient who was disconnected for a week during her stay. The woman was undergoing cancer treatment at Northeast Health Wangaratta (NHW) and without wifi connectivity she was unable to check her home security cameras on her digital device, receive files, or carry out everyday tasks like online banking. Prior to her stay, the patient was previously receiving immunotherapy treatment for melanoma, and contracted pneumonia about 10 days after her second treatment. After presenting to NHW for a CT scan, she was unexpectedly admitted to hospital. The patient's daughter, Kylie Barrow, lives in Melbourne and had to rush to Wangaratta to bring her some clothing and supplies, along with her Mum's Samsung tablet. "I needed to take care of her two dogs and water important bonsai plants at home, as well as organise ongoing help since she was in there for over a week," Ms Barrow said. "Due to no hospital wifi, that whole time she couldn't check her home cameras to see if her house and dogs were secure, she couldn't receive images from the dog walkers visiting her house, nor could she check important banking information online, etcetera." Ms Barrow also purchased a mobile broadband device but this didn't fix the problem. She is hoping the wifi void in hospitals can change soon as she said people should not be cut off from their lives especially when they are unwell. Her mother also has full private health insurance and expected more from the service. A Northeast Health Wangaratta spokesperson said they appreciate the feedback and understand that staying connected can improve comfort and overall patient experience. "We will continue to explore options to improve connectedness as part of broader service improvements as funding allows," the spokesperson said.

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