Paediatric information and guidelines | Facts about paediatric surgeries

Paediatric emergency guidelines

If you have an emergency during office hours, please call the office on 9650-4954 and we can advise you on a course of action.

Outside business hours, please call Sydney Children’s Hospital on 9382-1111 and ask for the surgical registrar on call.

Alternatively, you can present at the Emergency Department of Sydney Children’s Hospital. The surgical registrar on call will assess you and advise accordingly, they will also contact Dr Jiwane if need be.

For emergencies

If you have an emergency during office hours, please call the office on 9650-4954 and we can advise you on a course of action.

Outside business hours, please call Sydney Children’s Hospital on 9382-1111 and ask for the surgical registrar on call.

Alternatively, you can present at the Emergency Department of Sydney Children’s Hospital. The surgical registrar on call will assess you and advise accordingly, they will also contact Dr Jiwane if need be.

Hospital bookings

If your child needs surgery, a booking form needs to be submitted to the hospital.

For private hospital

Prince of Wales Private and Campbelltown Private, you can fill in an online admission form/ or the paper form may be submitted to the office/ posted to the admission office. A date for the operation will be allocated at the time of consultation with Dr Jiwane, according to the clinical urgency/ or your request and availability. The hospital will contact you prior to admission to instruct you on fasting time of your child and time of admission. If you have any queries please ask the staff. Usually Dr Don Hanna, Anaesthesiologist at Prince of Wales Private Hospital or Dr Jo Tan, Anesthesiologist at Campbelltown Private Hospital will talk to you before admission or at admission about the anaesthetic procedures, pain relief and after care. If you are concerned about the admission process, you may call my rooms or the hospital – Prince of Wales hospital on (02) 96504000 or Campbelltown Private hospital on (02) 46219111.

For public hospitals

Your child’s operation may be booked at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick or Campbelltown Public Hospital depending on your convenience, proximity to your home and clinical need of your child. If your child is under 6 months of age, the operation may be booked through Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. Once your booking form has been received, the hospital will confirm your child’s place on the waiting list, by mail/phone. The actual date of surgery is usually allocated by phone with 2-3 weeks notice usually given, though in some circumstances you may be offered a place with shorter notice. Admission staff from the public hospital will provide instructions on fasting times for your child and what time to come to the hospital. If you have any questions in regards to the hospital procedures please ask the staff when they contact you or please contact the hospital on 9382-1447 or 9382-1448 before your child’s admission date.Your child’s surgery may be cancelled if they are unfit for surgery/ anaesthesia on the day. Please inform staff if your child is unwell with fever/ cough or other illness. If a more urgent case needs to be scheduled, your child’s elective operation (that could wait another week) may be cancelled at short notice. We appreciate your understanding and apologise for the inconvenience. Dr Jiwane will see you before the operation on the day, and go through the procedure, risks and answer any queries that you may have on the day about the procedure, after care, follow up and more.

Hospital bookings

If your child needs surgery, a booking form needs to be submitted to the hospital.

For private hospital

Prince of Wales Private and Campbelltown Private, you can fill in an online admission form/ or the paper form may be submitted to the office/ posted to the admission office. A date for the operation will be allocated at the time of consultation with Dr Jiwane, according to the clinical urgency/ or your request and availability. The hospital will contact you prior to admission to instruct you on fasting time of your child and time of admission. If you have any queries please ask the staff. Usually Dr Don Hanna, Anaesthesiologist at Prince of Wales Private Hospital or Dr Jo Tan, Anesthesiologist at Campbelltown Private Hospital will talk to you before admission or at admission about the anaesthetic procedures, pain relief and after care. If you are concerned about the admission process, you may call my rooms or the hospital – Prince of Wales hospital on (02) 96504000 or Campbelltown Private hospital on (02) 46219111.

For public hospitals

Your child’s operation may be booked at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick or Campbelltown Public Hospital depending on your convenience, proximity to your home and clinical need of your child. If your child is under 6 months of age, the operation may be booked through Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. Once your booking form has been received, the hospital will confirm your child’s place on the waiting list, by mail/phone. The actual date of surgery is usually allocated by phone with 2-3 weeks notice usually given, though in some circumstances you may be offered a place with shorter notice. Admission staff from the public hospital will provide instructions on fasting times for your child and what time to come to the hospital. If you have any questions in regards to the hospital procedures please ask the staff when they contact you or please contact the hospital on 9382-1447 or 9382-1448 before your child’s admission date.Your child’s surgery may be cancelled if they are unfit for surgery/ anaesthesia on the day. Please inform staff if your child is unwell with fever/ cough or other illness. If a more urgent case needs to be scheduled, your child’s elective operation (that could wait another week) may be cancelled at short notice. We appreciate your understanding and apologise for the inconvenience. Dr Jiwane will see you before the operation on the day, and go through the procedure, risks and answer any queries that you may have on the day about the procedure, after care, follow up and more.

Fees

If you do not have private insurance, you may be admitted as a public patient in a public hospital. Dr Jiwane may not preform the operation and it may be done by a training doctor/surgical resident or registrar, with or without supervision. As a private patient, Dr Jiwane will perform the operation.

Surgical fees:

Once it has been determined that your child needs an operation you will receive a written quote for the operation fees of Dr Jiwane outlining the rebates from Medicare and health funds and your likely out of pocket (gap) cost. Estimates do not include costs associated with your hospital accommodation. There may be an ‘excess’ on your level of cover for the hospital admission payable to the hospital.

Anaesthetic fees:

Contact details for the anaesthetist will be provided with your quote. Please contact them directly to obtain an estimate for their fees.

Fees

If you do not have private insurance, you may be admitted as a public patient in a public hospital. Dr Jiwane may not preform the operation and it may be done by a training doctor/surgical resident or registrar, with or without supervision. As a private patient, Dr Jiwane will perform the operation.

Surgical fees:

Once it has been determined that your child needs an operation you will receive a written quote for the operation fees of Dr Jiwane outlining the rebates from Medicare and health funds and your likely out of pocket (gap) cost. Estimates do not include costs associated with your hospital accommodation. There may be an ‘excess’ on your level of cover for the hospital admission payable to the hospital.

Anaesthetic fees:

Contact details for the anaesthetist will be provided with your quote. Please contact them directly to obtain an estimate for their fees.

Frequently asked questions

1What is the difference between being a public patient and a private patient?

Should you elect to be admitted as a public patient in a public hospital, you are not guaranteed that Dr Jiwane will perform the surgery; usually a trainee will perform it. There will be no costs involved if you choose this option. Admission as a private patient guarantees that Dr Jiwane will perform the surgery. If you opt to be a private patient you will receive an estimation of fees for the surgery. As a private patient in private hospital you can choose the date of operation according to availability of Dr Jiwane’s schedule or your convenience. In public hospital, your child will be put on a waiting list according to the clinical urgency and NSW health guidelines.

2Do I need a referral to see Dr Jiwane?”

“My referral has run out, why do I need another one?” It is needed for you to claim the rebate for a specialist consultation the patient must be referred by another doctor. A referral from a GP will last 12 months however a referral from another specialist will last only 3 months. You do not need a referral if you were not to claim the rebate from Medicare and are to pay the fees for the consultation and operation charges.

3Do I have to pay for consultation or operation for my child?”

If you choose to see Dr Jiwane in his private rooms there will be a consultation fee part of which can be claimed back from medicare. If your child is booked for operation in private hospital, there may be an out of pocket fees. My office will be happy to help and guide you through this query. If you want to see Dr Jiwane, and cannot afford to pay the fees, he will be very happy to see you and book the operation through public hospital. If you do not have private insurance and would like Dr Jiwane to perform the operation himself, you can choose to come in as a private self funded patient in the private hospital. We will be happy to help and guide you through this query. We understand that it can be confusing.

4I haven’t heard anything from the hospital about my child’s operation?

If booked in private hospital, your child’s operation is confirmed on the date decided at the time of consultation unless your child is sick and unfit for the operation/ anaesthetic. The admission staff from the private hospital will call you a day or two before the planned date of your child’s surgery to inform you on fasting and arrival time. If you are coming to public hospital, you should get a letter from admissions and booking office advising of the waitlist and other information.

5Does Dr Jiwane perform newborn circumcisions?”

Dr Jiwane does circumcision for non-medical reasons however it is his policy to do them in a hospital under a short general anaesthetic, after the child is 6 months old as per guidelines of Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
https://www.racp.edu.au/docs/default-source/advocacy-library/circumcision-of-infant-males.pdf
http://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/files/factsheets/male_infant_circumcision-en.pdf
https://www.surgeons.org/media/292210/Male_non-therapeutic_circumcision.pdf

6I am worried about how it looks after my son was circumcised last week

Redness, a scab and clear oozing are all normal following circumcision. It will take about a week as it heals and looks better. Please refer to postoperative information given to you after your child’ surgery.

7When can my child resume normal activities including swimming?

This will depend on the operation. After most day case procedures your child may be able to resume normal activities, going to school and swimming after the first week. Intensive strenuous physical activity, contact sports with risk of injury are best avoided for upto 6 weeks post surgery.

8I don’t understand/ don’t know what is happening/ I am worried the dressing is coming off/ catheter has come out

If you are unsure of anything, or have any questions about your child’s recovery from the operation please call us/ email us Our team will reach out to you as soon as possible. If your child is unwell or you are concerned about their general well being or wound please call emergency at Sydney Children’s Hospital on 9382-1111 or Campbelltown Hospital on (02) 46219111.