Day 26. Here is some input from RM about his experiences in hospital up in Darwin. He has had so much time hanging about he has been able to study the locals!

"I must add the story of an old whiskery skinny as a rake Italian who was admitted to Emergency and spent the day near me. In the first instance he lay like the dead for a few hours. That was the least of it. Once he was approached by the nursing staff recollections of my beloved Carl Piani flowed as this old fox played the staff on a break.
I don’t know why he was admitted and the staff didn’t know either, nor do I believe the CIA could have found out. Through some hours of dialogue akin to a Fidel Castro speech (of whom this old fellow was of a likeness in feature) he was assessed as appropriate for discharge and return to the nursing home but that wasn’t his assessment although he didn’t say so. Since discharge required him to be able to get from the bed and into the wheel chair himself he asked that the bed be lowered to the necessary equal height of the chair. At this point it was check mate. The bed would not and worse, could not go that low and the chair could not be raised.
He brimmed willingness and was visibly hurt when asked if he was refusing to leave.
Always wanting to assist but only if it was done to his suiting and if not, absolute rejection. Cajoling was fruitless and various war-parties intending to defend the honour of the ward were repelled in confusion. Before any advance could be made by the assailants who were now in blind panic as the last transport to the nursing home was leaving, he continued to demand they do what was needed so he could oblige. Alas the bus left, other matters took precedence and the “old fella” curled up for a sleep."

"From there I was moved to the Rapid Assessment Unit, which is the NT’s wonderful set up for accommodating the demands of the large aboriginal component of hospital users. The ward aims to accommodate ex Emergency patients who will be moving- on in up to 4 days but is operational processes accommodate the comings and goings of aboriginal patients and family and others by long visiting times, open doors for patients, screening of “visitors” according to patients’ directions and settings of furniture to accommodate all. Given that 60% of the hospital’s users are aboriginal some innovation is not of itself unexpected but it is in my view admirably accommodating and worth positive support. Being a patient was a pleasure and the service was all that I needed. The “whites” there had their usual problems, self driven-in heart attack suspects, gall stones, snake bite, damaged leg from being charged by a bull, much the same as Canberra."