The week before Christmas is not usually the time to expect spikes in smoke-related ailments in the emergency department of the Canberra Hospital. And yet, here we are at the end of 2019, and that's exactly what's happening.
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Soaring temperatures and raging fires could well become the new normal for this time of year, and Canberra and Sydney, while not actually burning, are feeling the very real effects.
We reported on Friday that the thick smoke that has engulfed our city in recent weeks had led to more admissions for respiratory issues, with some patients travelling from as far as the South Coast.
A particularly heavy haze rolled into the capital on Thursday night, leading to hazardous air quality levels.
Beyond the measuring labs, the effects have been immediately noticeable, from the acrid smell, to the burning sensation in the eyes and lungs.
It's incredible to think that this could become a regular, if not common, occurrence in years to come.
Professor of global environmental health at the Australian National University Sotiris Vardoulakis said while extended periods of smoke haze blanketing cities was becoming the new normal, this summer had been unprecedented.
Meanwhile, The Canberra Times also reported last week on the extreme stress faced by the Canberra Hospital's emergency department more generally, with a quarterly report showing its performance had hit a new low during the winter period.
New figures revealed the hospital was operating above capacity for half of June, while corridor beds were used in the emergency department for most of the month.
The latest performance report for ACT's public health services shows just 21 per cent of urgent patients at the hospital were seen on time between July and September.
Half of all urgent patients waited longer than 82 minutes to be seen - clinical guidelines state those patients should be seen within 30 minutes.
It amounted to a 6 per cent increase compared with the last quarter.
But while it's easy to reduce performance of a stretched emergency department to numbers alone, we should spare a thought for the health professionals on the floor who are currently dealing with the effects of the heat wave on Canberra's population.
Never mind the difficult months of winter in Canberra; along with the smoke haze, soaring temperatures this December mean some of the city's most vulnerable are making more use of our free public health services.
And, stretched or not, emergency department staff are on hand to treat them.
Given that conditions are unprecedented, it's fair to say that these health professionals are facing their own reckoning when it comes to determining strategies to deal with what could become annual spikes in heat-wave and smoke-related conditions.
The region's firefighting services on the front line have rightfully been highly praised in the past couple of weeks, and there will many more long days and nights ahead for them.
But there are many more professionals who deserve our support and admiration, too.
Among them are the health professionals working in straitened circumstances to help the city cope with the effects of the heat wave.
And, like the firies, many of them won't be celebrating Christmas at home with their families, but on wards with their patients.
They also deserve our gratitude, as well.
