Keeping Australia Alive

The Australian health system in one snapshot. From the thin blue line on the pregnancy test to the flat line on the ECG, this episode examines the role of our health system in our lives from cradle to grave.

With a health system as vast as Australia's, a postcode can mean the difference between life and death. Archie Lauriston places the lives of both his wife AND daughter into the hands of the medicos for complex surgery.

Annie & Gerry from Perth face a tough day as Annie is wheeled into theatre to have a double mastectomy; Larry McArthur is obese & hopes to change his life when he undergoes gastric sleeve surgery.

In Boigu, the most northern island in the Torres Straits, a machete injury comes in from PNG. Meanwhile, a patient is rushed to emergency in Melbourne suffering severe internal burns after an electrical accident.

As medical research advances, we look at the future of the health system through children in treatment. 10 years ago baby Jada would not have survived... today she's a normal little girl.

From seizures to footy falls to a motor vehicle accident victim who is rushed to Bendigo emergency fighting for life, this episode looks at the front lines of our medical system.

Kerrie needs bypass surgery; Jack is half way through his transition from female to male; in a world first clinical trial, Adam prepares himself for the results of his melanoma scans.