• While mourning the death of his wife of 62 years, Beryl, Pastor Ossie Cruse has experienced the effects of a health system under pressure first hand.
Among the people gathered in Eden on Friday to raise issues with member for Bega Andrew Constance, was Pastor Ossie Cruse.
And while the issue he wanted to raise was general, his experience was personal.
While caring for his wife Beryl through her final illness last year, Pastor Cruse saw first-hand how the pressures of the health system played out in three different hospitals, across two states.
He saw the toll firstly on staff, and through them on patients, particularly his beloved wife of 62-years.
Pastor Cruse raised the issue with Mr Constance and says he will also write to the Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek.
Mrs Cruse passed away in Canberra Hospital on October 1, 2012, after three months of care that began with a 000 call in the middle of the night.
Pastor Cruse was by her side for much of her illness, holding her hand, encouraging her and seeing that she was cared for.
While Mrs Cruse was at Bega Hospital, Pastor Cruse began keeping a diary of events.
“I wanted to see how hospitals work and how she was being treated,” he said.
“I thought at the time it was hard on her, some of it undignified, and it affected her constitution.
“You can’t blame the nurses, they are suffering too, but they can’t care for all those who are suffering.
“It would be hard to have all these people howling at you in their misery and you’re the one nurse to take all of that.”
He said at times medication was hours late, staff in training made mistakes, calls were not answered, equipment failed and cleanliness was lacking.
“They need to look into the culture of care,” he said.
Pastor Cruse said he “blew his top” a few times and as a dogger and rigger offered a sketch of modifications to the sling system used to move patients.
“I’m not a doctor, I just had to take it and the same answer came up all the time, ‘we’re understaffed’.”
No stranger to politics and governmental procedures, Pastor Cruse knows how long the road of reform is.
“Andrew (Constance) is working his heart out in a heartless system, it can’t feel the pain of its constituents,” he said.
