Episode four of Children’s Hospital takes viewers on holiday to Rottnest Island
(Left to right) Japuji and her family with Dr Sandeep and nurse Nicole.
This Friday, 8 July 2022, episode four of Children’s Hospital marks the series’ half-way point and takes viewers across the ocean to WA’s idealistic holiday hot spot – Rottnest Island.
With up to 15,000 people flooding to the tiny island’s shores to explore by bike, accidents are bound to happen. When they do, the nurses at South Metropolitan Health Services’ (SMHS) Rottnest Island Nursing Post (RINP) are ready to help.
RINP Nurse Manager Claire Parsons explains how unique providing this essential service is on the island and works very closely with Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) – especially when a patient needs specialist care.
“Most days the clinic is manned (or in this case, ‘womaned’) by two nurses and an ambulance,” Claire said.
“We see around five presentations a day in the winter and up to 25 a day in peak season. Overnight, the clinic is closed but a nurse is always on call with the ambulance on hand.
“There are only a few hundred people who live on the island and our community emergency services, including nurses, firefighters, police and rangers, all work very closely and support each other for a coordinated emergency response.”
In this week’s episode of Children’s Hospital, viewers are taken along for the ride when 10-year-old Japuji hits her head after crashing her bike at high speed. After being attended to at our RINP, Japuji is then taken to FSH to receive the care she needed.
“Japuji hit her head quite badly and needed specialist care, so the other clinical nurse working that day, Naomi Leyte and I made her comfortable, cleaned her wounds, gave her pain relief and antibiotics before she caught the ferry and made her way to FSH with her family,” Claire said.
Fellow in Plastic Surgery Dr Sandeep B* treated Japuji, when she arrived at FSH.
“As a Sikh family, I knew Japuji’s family would prefer I don’t shave her hair if possible. I took special care to perform the operation differently to how I usually would, conserving her hair to respect Japuji’s cultural practices and religious beliefs,” Sandeep said.
“Her father was really appreciative, thanking me for taking such time and care to take their culture into consideration.
“Australia has a very multi-cultural population and as a surgeon, it is my responsibility to gain my patients’ trust and make them feel safe by working to understand and cater for their unique needs and cultures.”
No one wants their holiday to end in a trip to the RINP or hospital, so Claire advises people take care to stay safe and healthy when visiting Rottnest Island.
“We want everyone to enjoy their Rotto visit, so please make sure you bring your medications and a first aid kit, wear a helmet and shoes when riding bikes and e-scooters, drink responsibly and have plenty of water when you are out exploring the island,” Claire suggested.
Alongside Japuji’s story, episode four of Children’s Hospital will also feature a boy scout on a bush camp who is bitten by a mystery creature and a teenage girl who flies into Perth from a remote town for surgery.
Tune into Channel 9 at 7:30pm this Friday, 8 July 2022, to catch the fourth episode of Children’s Hospital. You can also catch up and watch the episodes anytime on 9Now.
*Now FSH Consultant Burns Surgeon Dr Sandeep B.
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