if there is anything to say from my weekend experiences this week, then it would definately be that the health sysem in america is atrocious.
i woke up saturday morning with my right ear unable to pick up any sound. if there was any, then it was nullified by a great amount. then, i noticed that it was giving sharp pain. i thought that there was some dust stuck in my ear, so i tried to clean it off by sticking cotton buds lightly, but that did not solve any problems. after a while, the pain still would not go away, so i kinda grew a little worried, and as i used a tissue to wipe my ears, i noticed that there was blood coming out.
to my luck, the campus health services was closed, which meant that i had to go to a city clinic or a hospital, which i really did not want to, because i didnt have insurance in america, but realizing how dire the situation was, i could not wait. what is worse, the healthcare system here is horrid, i knew that from trying to get a simple health check up back last year before my semester at tech started. you need to schedule appointments to see doctors before anything. there isnt really a system like in singapore where you can just walk in and get checked out. and this was the weekend, so i was doubtful if there was any clinics nearby that operated on a saturday. after calling some places to check if they were open, i found one hospital downtown, and i got a friend to drive me there, james tagging along.
i went into the emergency room, filled out a form, and i was made to wait for an hour before my name was called, after which my temperature and blood pressure was taken. then, i was taken to a room in the emergency room. i had to wait for another hour before a doctor came in. she checked both ears for like a minute, told me its probably an infection (like i didnt know), and left, without telling me anything. i had to wait another 30 minutes before she came back and told me the same thing, and then she went off, trying to get medicines and getting another doctor to come. that took another hour, and the new doctor took another minute to examine and told me the exact same thing. he left yet again, and i was made to wait for another hour without having any clue as to what was going on or what i was doing there. i spent a considerable amount of time looking at how people were brought in, left on a bed by the wall, and just being left there, waiting for someone else to attend to them. after what seemed like ages, i got hold of someone walking past and asked what i was waiting for, to which he checked and replied, for processing paperwork. i was going crazy just waiting, as i was never made to wait for such a period at a hospital before. i mean, this is the emergency room for crying out loud, i am supposed to be examined, diagnosed, prescribed and asked to leave. that did not happen and it seemed like it would never happen.
some time passed before some other person came and told me that i had to come back on monday to see a ear specialist, with the appointment set at noon. i really did not want to go, i would have to miss my material science class and computer science class and im already falling behind on those two classes, its only going to get worse from now. i wanted to tear my head apart just being made to wait. after a while, the same person came back, told me to sign a paper, and told me to get my medicine at the pharmacy. and guess what, i had to wait for another hour before i got my things. and i was made to pay 62 bucks for 4 medicines.
i spent 6 hours at the hospital, only to be examined for not more than 10 minutes, the rest spent on waiting for absolutely nothing. it was ridiculous. this, happening at an emergency room in a hospital in a metropolitan city. unbelievable. and they were 70% sure it is a bacteria that grew on the ear that caused the bleeding. they could not see beyong the bleeding and they didnt even clean or do anything else other than look at my ear.
i did not trust what they told me at the hospital, but what could i do? i missed my first housing staff meeting and precious time to study for my economics test. i decided to go to the school's health services because i was convinced that i would get better care.
turned out that i was dead wrong. it was exactly the same, if not worse. i woke up at 12, or so i thought, because the wintersaving time had ended, the clock's been pushed an hour earlier, which meant that i woke up at 1. (and this means that now im exactly 12 hours behind singapore time) i took a shower, shaved and left for the health services. it opened at 2pm, to which i reached around 2:30pm, and signed in. i was made to wait for 2 and a half hours before they even called my name. it was the exact same thing as yesterday. the doc took 30 minutes to arrive, looked at both ears, and told me the same thing, that they cant see past the bleeding and that i should go back to the hospital to be examined. i really didnt want to, but now i dont have a choice. basically i wasted my whole weekend waiting. waiting for nothing.
had i been in singapore, i would have been attended to in less than 30 minutes and be discharged within an hour. if anything at all, i would have been treated. they would have cleaned my ear and if necessary, sucked whatever fluid that was in my ears. here, you gotta make an appointment to do that, however urgent. they said its just the membrane breaking but what if its not? what if i were to lose my hearing? they would not know it and it wouldnt make any difference. its horrid.
this country has the best care available, but very little or very difficult access to them. no wonder medicare is such a huge topic of argument in this country.
i have never before felt like leaving atlanta, if at all, so strongly until yesterday. i feel scared to get sick or injured, because i know i wont be looked at as soon as possible. i have never felt like being back in singapore more strongly than now. i know i am exagerrating if i am to base my judgement purely on one experience in a particular hospital, but i have such a strong feeling that it is the same everywhere else.
my dad had that chest issue last summer. he was attended to immediately and put in the intensive care unit. had he been here, would he have been made to wait for 6 hours, or worse? people can die in such a long time. i saw a guy with his face cut, probably from a fight, wheeled in and being left there to be made to wait for someone to attend to him. in an emergency room no less.
there is so much anger and displeasure in myself that i could burst out crying anytime. and i am surprised at how tolerent i am of all thats happening here. i am not breaking down, i am not running around screaming and i am not panicking. i am too nice, i dont make someone stop and start yelling at their face. and i dont know why.
all seems to be going wrong. i have lost the entire weekend doing absolutely nothing but wait. and waiting for what? precious time for studying and catching up on work completely lost. at such a crucial time. and for what? to be examined for less than what could be a total of 15 minutes combined and being told what they think it most probably is? is that the best that i can get from here?
as of this moment, i am afraid to live in this country any longer.
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