A 103-year-old Sydney woman with a broken hip has been forced to wait for five days on a hospital waiting list and has not been able to eat since Monday lunch.
Ina Cameron badly fractured her hip in a fall at her home in Camden in southwest Sydney on Monday, but is not considered a priority for surgery at Campbelltown Hospital, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Mrs Cameron has not eaten in nearly five days because her preparation for the operation means she must be "nil by mouth”.
Her niece Eva Campbell said the wait was "absolutely disgraceful".
"Shouldn't age and fragility be at the top of the priority list?" she said.
"I fully accept there are instances where cases are a priority, and you do have to step aside ... but how long does this go on for?"
South West Area Health chief Professor Phil Harris said it was Mrs Cameron's general health, specifically stomach ulcers, which prevented surgery taking place.
But Mrs Campbell said the opposite message was communicated to her aunt's family.
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