It took years for 72-year-old Sena Husic to undergo crucial spinal surgery to fix a debilitating pinched nerve in her back.

"It would cause my legs to go numb, making it difficult to walk and I would fall often as a result," she said.

The grandmother would have sought help sooner if the medical system had been easier for her to navigate.

She moved to Canberra 30 years ago as a refugee fleeing the Bosnian War.

Despite years of trying, her English is extremely limited.

"We came here from a war zone — we were stressed and traumatised," she told the ABC through a translator.

" It was so hard to learn English, whereas my grandchildren who are born here and go to school speak English perfectly. "

Ms Husic is reliant on family members or translators for medical appointments — a system th

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