A&E

Have you ever been to any hospitals A&E? How are your experiences so far? Good? Bad? Why did you go there and at which level of emergency were you there for? What I will relate to you here is what happened to me today at the very well known Private Specialist Centre nearest to my place.

Let me begin by stating that I really have no problem with this hospital. I have been going to this place ever since I have been with Talisman, my current company. They really provide good medical coverage so we enjoyed the best of medical treatments and facilities offered. That was where I had my 1st child and my 2nd, where they went for their full 2 years immunizations. That was where I was hospitalized for 5 whole days for asthma, that was also where I got my treatment for the thingy that I had in my eyelids back then when I was a daily contact lenses wearer. The hospitalization services are superb, staff is friendly and courteous. Food is good too, and added bonus, if you are there for something that did not kill your appetite, or you have visitors who loves eating hospital food (like my kiddies).

So what happened to me today was really upsetting. I went in this morning at about 10 a.m ( I am very sure of this as the number chit that we got, stated 10:07) so, it took a couple of minutes for the staff at the registration counter to pass me the chit. So I rushed in short of breath, breathing loudly and heavily, almost panting and saying, please I need the Neb showing him a gesture with my hand to my mouth (Nebulizer, the inhaler that is given to an asthmatic during an attack like the one I had that morning. This is nothing new to me, I know I need that thing. In fact I had it 2 weeks back, on the 21st April, in Klang remember I wrote something about it in my previous blog?

While I said that, I passed him my Mediclinic card, so this happened as soon as I arrived that is at 10ish. This is a critical point to note, as something happened in relation to this matter a little later on. So let me explain how this Mediclinic card works, our HR awhile back decided to source out our medical packages to an Insurance company. In order to obtain medical treatment without outright payment, we are to only get medical treatments at hospitals or clinics that accepts this card. This is for walk-in – emergency cases. However, if it is for a set appointment with a doctor/specialist/dentist, we have to obtain the Guarantee Letter (GL) a day or two before the said appointment, or else we would have to wait a while for the GL to be sent from the Insurance company to the hospitals/clinics. In other clinics there is just no problem, I would have to fill in a Mediclinic Form that is readily available sign it, the staff there would cross check my details with my Mediclinic card and perhaps my ID, and walah treatment is free an immediate. I have come to this particular hospital’s A&E unit before and used this card twice before today, the 1st incident I had to wait almost 45 minutes after seeing the doctor before we were allowed to leave and the Insurance Company took awhile to fax in the GL and I had the kids with me, can’t remember whether it was me or them who needed treatment. The 2nd incident, there was no waiting. Ok,I stop here for now.
So my number on the chit at 10:07 was 1012, and the current number being called was 1007, if I was not mistaken. Naturally, I waited, the A&E lounge was too cold, only caused me to wheez more, thus cough more, so I opted to wait / stand outside. 15 minutes of waiting, someone called me to go have a blood pressure test, temperature check the normal mini pre-check up before the Medical Officer (MO) will see a patient in this hospital’s A&E, don’t know about others. The nurse had problems with the bp machine because I guess I was pretty anxious with all the wheezing, the coughing, the waiting outside… She was like, calm down, please I need to do this reading again because it is incorrect. Please try to calm down. How can I calm down, I cannot breathe!!! So, I was saying boleh tak bagi saya nebulizer sekarang? Saya dah tak tahan nie!!! To which she replied, sekejaplah, mesti jumpa Dr dulu, utk dapat tau ubat apa nak pakai. Yeah, hello woman, I cannot breathe nie, nak tunggu apa lagi nie.

Did I then get the neb? Noooo! I had to wait further cause it wasn’t 1012 yet. By then it was only 1010 and it was already 10:30 and I was breathless, and wheezing and coughing my lungs out, outside the A&E and was half crying (yes, unfortunately I get emotional quite easily, and when I am upset as in angry, but cannot scream at someone, I cry way too easily!) That did it, I was thinking to myself am I at an Emergency Unit or what??? Why am I waiting when I am half dyeing here? What constitutes a really emergency, blood and cuts and and no longer breathing? What? So I barged in much to (must be, I’m guessing) the embarrassment of my hubby who is ever so patient, and said, Please I need to see the Nebulizer right now, I have been waiting for over 30 minutes, and I just cannot breathe and I am coughing like this. Please!!!! No as coherent as that I was almost in tears already. And guess what, when you act crazy or diva ish like that, they let you in, and guess how long the doctor took to diagnose my condition and prescribed to the nurse what medication to be put into the neb, a whole of 3 seconds of the stethoscope on my already tight, wheezing, phlegm filled chest. 3 seconds, and I had to wait 30 minutes, and they even had a dedicated ASTHMA BAY, there was even a sign at the top of the cove! I was so upset, that they couldn’t let me jump queue just for 3 second to see the MO, then I can bel left in the asthma bay with the neb, that’s all I am asking. Why did I have to endure 30 minutes of pain just be cause it wasn’t my turn yet, couldn’t they see how bad my condition was compared to the other patients who were waiting?

So, I got 2 rounds of the Neb, and I became better instantly!! But by then I was soo so tired because of the length of time I was short of breather I guess, it really drained out all the energy (or what was left) in me.

Then came the medications, wait, wait and wait for my turn, and when the medication has been dispensed of, the cashier told me, ummm we actually have to wait for the GL, cause we need to see if it is covered. That’s was when I blew my top again. Miss, it is 11:30, I gave the registration counter my card at 10! Are you telling me, it takes 1 and a half hour to get a fax from the Insurance company???????? I don’t know whether it was the insurance company’s fault or the registration fella was late in calling them, I don’t care. I am sick, do I need to wait this long????? Puan, tapi kami ada ramai orang hari nie, yelah tapi saya dah bagi kad say daripada pukul 10 tadi!!!!!! Aaaaaa I am so furious with this system!!!!!! If it was my child who was sick, I swear I would have gone even more ballistic this morning. Crazy. What a day!

I went home, so tired. Thank goodness my parents took my kids with them to the wedding that I was supposed to attend and later on, to send their maid to the LCCT to catch a flight home. So, I managed to have a good rest. I am much better now, still wheezing a little, took my medications already. But guess where I am not going should I need a another neb shot????