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John Yu - A voice for children |
Dr John Yu, who has just passed the mantle of Australian of the Year to ground breaking immunologist, Professor Peter Doherty, has a rich, soothing voice. As a paediatrician, this voice, coupled with his smiling eyes, must have reassured thousands of children over the years.
If you were ever in hospital as a child, you might remember the institutional green walls, the long corridors, the children's ward tucked away from the rest, the limited visiting hours. Above all, you might remember the smell.
Dr John Yu's vision was to do away with all that. As the driving force behind the New Children's Hospital in Westmead, which opened in 1995, the consensus is that he has succeeded. The hospital is a place of warm colours and music, beautiful art work and gardens. It is bright and inviting. It does not scream hospital. Above all, it does not even have that smell.
It is a place where sick children can get better happily and noisily. It is also a place where terminally ill children can die in peace, surrounded by as much that is normal and familiar as possible.
In his long career at the Children's Hospital, Dr Yu has consistently turned his extensive networks to the advantage of children for whom he is a committed advocate. Last year his achievements were recognised when he became Australian of the Year.
Being Australian of the Year gave him a great opportunity to reach many people, Dr Yu says. Although he was pulled from all angles - by the children's lobby, by people concerned with health, by the arts "which I cherish as a great passion" - he enjoyed the year. Following Independent MP Pauline Hanson's jump into the political arena and her criticism of the levels of Asian immigration, the ethnic community also approached him because he is Chinese-Australian: "They thought it important to have me on board."
He lost about two days a week at the hospital because of his commitments as Australian of the Year. He says his time away clearly demonstrated the importance of the hospital's staff. Describing himself as simply at the head of the hospital, he constantly refers back to the legion of people, salaried, volunteers and otherwise, who have made it possible.
Dr Yu considers promoting the development of physically and emotionally healthy children paramount. Not only for this generation, but succeeding generations too. He talks about preventative measures to give a child a healthy start in life.
There are two ways he sees to do this, one is immunising against vaccine preventable diseases. The other is to ensure that in the first year after childbirth, women have the appropriate support and help they need in acquiring parenting skills. Dr Yu said within two decades, this could break the cycle of problems that sprang from poor parenting skills.
On the immunisation issue, Dr Yu is categoric. Parents who fail to vaccinate their children are violating not only their children's rights, but other children's as well: "I don't believe anyone, including parents, has the right to deny their child a right to avail of modern medicine and science."
In the media, Dr Yu says people do not get to read about brain damage from Hib or measles because it is not news. But one child with even relatively minor complications as a result of a vaccine hits the news. "Peter Doherty was on to something when he criticised the media. Giving equal coverage is fine when they are based on facts. But when someone is promoting the views of a small minority, it skews the argument. I can understand why people are influenced when they read such skewed arguments."
If someone told a parent not to vaccinate their child (outside the parameters of accepted contra-indications) and that child was damaged by a vaccine preventable disease, Dr Yu states he would give his support to that family in suing the person responsible, saying "We are all professionally accountable."
Dr Yu's feelings on this issue are such that he would advocate strongly that parents who were prepared to expose their children to the risk of vaccine preventable diseases by not immunising them should not qualify for community benefits such as child endowments.
He is quite keen to see doctors paid more than the standard consulting fee when they carry out opportunistic immunisation. This would encourage doctors to ask about immunisation on every visit. Another suggestion is that they get a bonus when they have administered the last vaccine in the schedule.
Dr Yu says immunisation must be made easily available for the most socially disadvantaged people, who might have no transport or have other difficulties in getting to the clinics or to their doctor.
Mobile clinics have their place in remote communities, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. "In that situation, it is not only that immunisation is not so easily available in the area, but very often the times and schedules are not convenient and difficult to remember. We can't depend on them coming forward when boosters are due. A greater attempt needs to be made in helping them understand why it needs to be done."
The Elders of the communities also have a role to play in changing attitudes from within he says.
Dr Yu is planning to retire towards the end of this year. He has already been approached by many people to become involved in various issues and causes. Certainly, he will continue fundraising for the hospital. He will remain on the board of the Art Gallery of NSW and will probably join the board of one of the regional art galleries. He will continue to accept selective speaking engagements reflecting his role as an advocate for children.
"I like kids. I think they're getting a raw deal. The rest of us have demanded our place in the sun, our rights. Children haven't had anyone to do it for them."
Looking back on his life and his accomplishments to date, he considers his greatest achievement to be the New Children's Hospital. "What pleased me most is that this is a hospital that provides not only for the care of children's diseases, but it cares about their hearts, their souls and their parents. It is a total healing environment. It has places for fun, meditation. It has areas of peace for children and their families."
All the elements that make up the hospital play their part in a total healing environment - light, colour, art, space and gardens. He says the hospital is an extraordinary achievement by a huge number of people. An indication of the dedication of the team behind the hospital is that it only took five years from the concept stage to the opening. The public showed its support too by contributing $30 million to the Capital Appeal fund.
The first thing visitors to the hospital hear is children laughing and playing.
Art, which is a major feature in this hospital, is not just decoration, Dr Yu says, but part of the healing process. He speaks highly of Joanna Capon, the driving force behind the art committee. Arts programs and artists in residence bring art to the children and are particularly valuable with older children, allowing them a means of expressing themselves.
Dr Yu relates the story of the seven-year-old who had day surgery just before the open day of the hospital last year. Hearing about the open day, the little boy asked his mother if she would take him back because he had not finished enjoying the hospital.
There could hardly be a better measure of the extent to which John Yu's vision has been achieved.
This article was published in GPSpeak, the magazine of the NRDGP, in February 1997.
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