Newly diagnosed - private or public

Hi there @NikkiJ6...I'm so sorry you've had to join our not so nice club. I can't speak for the public system in Queensland as I'm in Sydney. I was diagnosed and treated at a large Sydney public hospital where I was actually admitted for another condition. A chest CT scan, which was to check my lungs, turned up the breast cancer. From diagnosis, along with all the scans, biopsies, bone scans and whatnot, the cost to me was nothing. My six months of chemo cost very little...around $80.00 which was for pre chemo meds such as steroids , antihistamines and anti nausea meds. I was in and out of hospital after each AC chemo for a total of 56 days and nights over the four doses. (Other preexisting medical conditions were not helpful). For the years duration of Herceptin treatment, I had to have four cardiac echo scans (every three months) Then came my surgery and after that, all my ongoing appointments with both oncologist and surgeon. Again...it cost me nothing. Some people seem concerned that in the public system, one is often seen by the registrar, rather that the consultant surgeon or oncologist, but I had no problem with this. They are already qualified doctors, but are now at the next level, and they are very well supervised by the head honcho. On one admission, there was a woman in the bed next to me who was a private patient and she made sure everybody knew this. Aside from "her own" specialist who whizzed by each morning, for about three minutes, and followed by his retinue of registrars and other persons, she received nothing that I didn't. She slept in the same type of bed, used the same bathroom, ate the same food, was looked after by the same nurses, and went for x rays and so on, using the same equipment and technicians. My care was the same as hers and my (and my husband's) tax dollars were given a good workout. I'm extremely grateful for our public health system...it has some problems, but for cancer treatment, you get top shelf care. If I was needing a knee replacement or somesuch, I may well sing a different song as the waiting lists are long.