It was like being in a Third World country.
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Gale force winds on Monday night howled through vents in Wollongong Hospital's new Accident and Emergency waiting room.
The endless noise whipped around the sick and injured, the elderly and the young who were left to wait on the brand new seats - patients staring blankly ahead as the wind howled and sometimes roared above them.
Behind the glass windows, where all the action is, the wind sneaked through the cracks, constantly blowing the hair of the triage nurse who was clearly doing her best in a bad situation.
The admission nurse tried to stop the wind coming through one crack with a piece of cardboard but to no avail.
Along the glass windows and doors, water seeped into the waiting room. At first the cotton hospital towels helped in keeping the water at bay, but within an hour small puddles began to break through the barriers.
The sick stared silently ahead in the cramped space and were more than thankful when their name was finally called.
The upgrade of the waiting room is part of the hospital's $106 million redevelopment. The new transit lounge was opened earlier this month. In April last year the hospital's foyer was closed due to flooding associated with the new building works.