A Sydney father has described a painful ordeal after he was rushed into emergency surgery when his appendix ruptured while waiting for a hospital bed.

James recently went to Campbelltown Hospital’s emergency department after suffering from severe abdominal pain.

He had several tests but was not allocated a bed until 16 hours later, when he was told by doctors he had appendicitis and required surgery.

About 30 hours after he arrived at the hospital, his appendix burst.

‘I was moved into an offshoot of the [emergency department] under the care of a surgical team, ready for surgery the next day,’ he told 2GB Breakfast host Ben Fordham on Thursday.

‘They were about to move me to another ward, where I was going to keep waiting. 

‘I was waiting in my hospital gown when the pain got 100 times worse – I could not breathe.

‘I usually don’t cry out in pain, but that was excruciating.’

James spent a week in hospital with peritonitis, a severe infection that causes intense pain, fever and a hard abdomen, and took five weeks off work. 

He told Fordham he believes his appendix would never have ruptured if he had been treated in a timely manner. 

‘My understanding is that it’s a relatively routine operation – three holes through the gut through keyhole surgery and you’re out, if not the following day, the day after,’ he said.

James has lodged a formal request for answers with the hospital and said he is sharing his story in the hope no one else goes through a similar ordeal.

He added that he had no issues with the care received from doctors and nurses there.

‘They were fantastic and were doing the best they could,’ he said.

Recent data revealed one in 10 patients waits up to 27 hours in the emergency department to be admitted at Campbelltown Hospital, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

This is despite the hospital undergoing a $632million redevelopment, which included doubling the emergency department.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park recently said the proportion of emergency patients with imminently life-threatening conditions being treated on time at Campbelltown had improved by more than half during the final quarter of 2025, from 36.8 per cent to 59.5 per cent.

The hospital is one of the busiest in the state and sits in the Macarthur region, where more than 133,000 new residents are expected to live over the next decade.

James shared a message for NSW Premier Chris Minns during the interview.

‘It’s unacceptable,’ he said.

‘Campbelltown Hospital has had a [$632million] upgrade, then this happens.’

South Western Sydney Local Health District has apologised to James for the care he received. 

‘We take all complaints very seriously and are undertaking a review of the treatment provided,’ a spokeswoman told Daily Mail.

‘Campbelltown Hospital is committed to the continual improvement of our services to provide the best possible compassionate, patient-centred health care to our community.

‘We continue to review areas for improvement and implement strategies to support our dedicated, highly-skilled staff and enhance patient care. 

‘These include reviewing ED models of care, improving care coordination, early identification of patients suitable for discharge and enhanced use of the short-stay unit.’

The Daily Mail also contacted the NSW government for comment.