A few days ago, my 90-year-old mother had her blood work done at a Lambak clinic. The following morning, I received a call from the doctor, who said my mum had to be admitted to hospital due to blood infection. He said that once his name was mentioned at the emergency unit, my mum would receive medical attention straightaway.
We arrived at the hospital at 1.30pm and told the staff exactly what the doctor had said. Instead of the smooth-sailing procedure we expected, the staff spent the next few hours “looking” for my mum’s medical record while chit-chatting away. All the while, my mum was sitting in the waiting area dealing with a great deal of pain.
It took four hours for them to move her to the transit ward, where there was still no medical care to be had. It was only at 9pm, almost eight hours after we turned up at the emergency unit did my mum finally get moved to a proper ward.
As a citizen, I am extremely grateful to be from a country that provides us with affordable healthcare. However, it is fairly glaring that there is a pressing need for a centralised system between public hospitals and clinics. If an urgent case has been referred to hospital, the staff at the emergency unit should prepare the person for admission straightaway, not gossiping and laughing while the patient drowns in fear and discomfort for hours.
Take for example a friend who recently brought her father for routine check-up. He had been discharged from the hospital a few days prior, but the clinic insisted that he kept up with his appointments. The attending doctor ordered a blood test because he suspected her dad of having cancer but offered no further explanation.
Weeks later, they returned to the clinic for the result and were seen by a different doctor. She couldn’t hide her confusion over the previous doctor’s assessment, adding that there was no indication of cancer in the blood work done at the hospital prior to discharge to suggest further testing.
With the Legislative Council meeting currently in session, it would be good if the authorities could use a portion of the time to discuss the implementation of a centralised healthcare system that allows seamless communication between public hospitals and clinics throughout the country.
Tired Daughter
