Página 56 - Teacher’s book - ENGLISH FOR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDERS

54 ENGLISH FOR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDERS
Nick Tovo: Once in flight the plane is the hospital and these medics have only one chance
to get patients ready on the ground.
LtCol (Dr.) Linda Vu: Safety first, and that’s a lot of what we’re teaching them here is how
to package up their patients.
Nick Tovo: Captain Natalie Baldauf has never worked with the patient in the air or this type
of equipment.
Cap. (Dr.) Natalie Baldauf: I think the most challenging thing. For me as I’m a general
pediatrician, so that is more critical care medicine.
Nick Tovo: Working in the Pacific she has to learn new ways to operate.
Cap. (Dr.) Natalie Baldauf: For us on Guam… and we often have patients that need a
higher level of care, so these courses really help me know what to prepare for and how to
prepare for those transfers.
Nick Tovo: These are jointly life-saving missions carried out by the US military and its allies
in the Pacific.
LtCol (Dr.) Linda Vu: It’s very important throughout our theatre just because we don’t have
an ability to transport all critical care patients in this theatre safely without the assistance of
our maybe an army, an air force military medical personnel.
Nick Tovo: Preparing patients on the ground, to keep them alive in the air. Nick Tovo,
Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.
Unit 11. Australian Public and Private Health-care System
Ever wondered how it works when we get sick or need medical help?
In Australia, we are looked after by a health system that has two parts. The public part, run
by the government through Medicare, is paid for by our taxes. When someone like Alison,
for instance, gets sick and needs to see a doctor or specialist, get medical tests like X-rays
or blood tests, take prescription medicines, or be treated in a public hospital, our tax money
helps pay for it.
There’s a few things to remember about public health and Medicare. Alison won’t pay
anything to go to a public hospital, but she won’t get to choose which hospital or which
doctors treat her. She might have to go on the public hospital waiting list, and wait a while
for a treatment, although if it’s an emergency she’ll be treated straight away.
Medicare doesn’t usually cover the full cost of doctors’ visits, tests and prescription medi-
cines, so Alison might have to pay some money towards them.
The private, or non-government part of the health system, is made up of private hospitals,
health insurance companies, and other health providers like dentists. If someone like Ray