Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre — Local services in Melbourne

My grandmother recently had surgery on her lower eyelid at Peter Mac. The experience—from admission to discharge—was smooth, respectful, and deeply human.

Staff were professional and genuinely kind. The nurses were standouts: skilled, compassionate, and clearly not just “doing a job.” Her surgeon, Dr. Vachara Niumsawatt, was excellent. Despite understandable nerves (including a blood pressure spike managed calmly and swiftly), my grandmother felt genuinely cared for.

Small moments stood out. Reception on Level 6C was efficient and helpful. At the pharmacy, the man behind the counter gave her a smile that lasted just a little longer than expected. It wasn’t routine—it was real. While waiting, we saw a woman walk in, stylish and laughing, cheerfully sharing news of her upcoming gastrectomy. Then she walked out — still smiling, like she was walking into the sunshine, not toward surgery. That kind of courage and grace stays with you.

The hospital itself is impressive: clean, modern, and thoughtfully designed. It’s a billion-dollar building, and you can feel it — not just in the technology or architecture, but in the atmosphere. The space is vast, white, calming. It’s designed to contain suffering without showing it. Even the lighting feels intentional. You notice the silence. You notice the echoes. And you start to notice people. The architecture whispers don’t panic — with soft contours, warm LEDs, and polished floors. Everything feels built to guide your emotions without you realising it. Like the music in the café, or the careful placement of indoor plants. Even the voids between levels seem intentional — space to breathe, but also space to feel small.

I’ve read some tough reviews of Peter Mac, and I don’t doubt they reflect real pain. Given the scale, polish, and brilliance of the building, it’s easy to forget that behind the glass and architecture, this is a place where life and death hang in the balance and it’s important to keep in mind that the veneer of perfection doesn’t erase the stakes. And not every interaction will meet expectations — there are difficult days, and yes, sometimes even bad actors. I’ve worked in hospitals myself. I know the system isn’t perfect. But for us, on this particular day and in this particular context, the care was excellent — quiet, thoughtful, and humane. Quietly...

My personal experience.... All but a few nurses are great, attentive and very helpful. For what they do and have to put up with, god bless them. I hope they are paid well and treated fairly by senior staff.

Now a little about the Dr's. During my fathers stay Dr's were nowhere to be found. I made requests upon requests to see the Dr's, but I was always told they were busy. Dr's also appeared to be straight from uni. Never met one senior Dr. during my visits over several months.

Dad was given 30mg of morphine daily using tablets and all up over 30 tablets daily (prior to being at Pmac, he was taking meds for his heart only) . I never really knew what they were all for. I asked for a list and review of medication dad was taking, but no Dr provided this information. No review of dosage either. After taking all the meds he became unable to walk and was mostly sleeping during the day. Ofcourse this could have been attributed to both the pain killers and his cancer. So as a warning these guys love prescribing a lot of medication to their patients. Although it comes as no surprise.

When dad complained of pain, Dr's administered a strong morphine dosage, which he then became unconscious. I was never told this was to happen. He never woke up again.

Their internal processes is also something that is laughable. Nurses struggle to be on the same page as the Dr's. It's like there are two separate organisations here that do not work together. I feel for the nurses.

Surprise surprise!!!!! After dad was given the morphine and entered into unconsciousness, Dr's and palliative care have been around everyday. Dr's very attentive to my requests and are available to talk anytime. Too little to late for that I think.

Great building with great facilities and nurses. Sad about the rest. All a facade.

Just make sure you seek a reputable senior Dr before coming here.. otherwise there maybe only...

Pharmacist and Dieticians operate by their own law and separate from the hospital. I approached the Pharmacy for medication and was asked to state my name, dob and address. I responded accordingly. A young Asian descent woman asked me: is this for you? I said 'Yes'. She walked away from counter and whispered something to her colleague. The colleague comes at the windows and asks the identification questions all over again and I obliged. At this moment 2 men are standing next to the woman in support. Unreal really. I walked away and asked for my prescription which I got the Chemo nurses to get it for me. Towards the end of the day I get a phone call from the Director saying that the woman at the Counter thought the script was stolen. Whatever gave her that idea. It would appear she became a detective. If you have doubts whatsoever ASK FOR FURTHER IDENTIFICATION NUMBNUTS instead of being an amateur 'Inspecteur Poirot'. the revenge continued with Dieticians (Asian again). This time around she insisted that I buy 'Sustagen" from the in-house Pharmacy to which I said 'No politely and explained that it is available cheaper elsewhere". The next day I was blocked from any access to Dietician without any explanation. Disgraceful behaviour by the hospital. Evolve and make the changes. I was a paying patient not that I expect a special...