Mater Dei Hospital: The bad and the brilliant (1)

Our politicians boast and blabber how good Mater Dei Hospital is, but I can prove them wrong. It should be called Mater Dei Circus.

My daughter of one year and seven months got injured, and had her toe and foot covered in blood, and we took her immediately to the emergency section. My wife went to the reception with the child in her arms, blood dripping off her toe. She was told to wait for her turn without even a bit of etiquette, as is demanded from people who work in such an environment.

After more than 45 minutes walking back and forth I went up to the reception and talked to the same lady, where arrogantly enough I was told to sit down. I asked to talk to the head in the ER but she said there was no supervisor or head of department, and if I had any problem I should go talk to the security.

I went up to the security and told him my situation and he too told me to wait but I did not stop there. I continued arguing for five minutes showing him my daughter and her injury and he went into a room next to the reception area and I was immediately called in. They advised me to go and make an appointment for an X-ray where we had to wait for another 30 minutes.

After the X-ray was done we were told to go back to the emergency section so a doctor could see us. Guess what? We had to wait for another 30 minutes until a doctor popped by. He guided us to a room and told us to wait until he saw the X-ray.

I knew this was going to be a waiting game and my daughter was in pain so I had to do something. I went after the doctor and pressured him to check the X-ray up and tell us what to do. Indeed, when one puts pressure one gets results, and the doctor did check everything as I could see him from behind the main desk.

We went back to the room and he advised my wife and I that he would send someone to take care of my daughter’s toe. I guess he was the only fast doctor there because after 40 minutes, two nurses came by and started to take care of my daughter. Then we were told to go with the given papers to make another appointment for a week later.

On the designated day my wife went by herself to hospital as I could not leave work due to company reasons. The appointment was at 10.30 a.m. and again they had to wait at the orthopaedics section for more than an hour and 15 minutes before being seen.

The nurses took off my daughter’s bandage and they told her that her toe was okay and healed. They also told my wife to go to the waiting room so a doctor could see her. She went out and after more than 20 minutes waiting my daughter moved that same foot and banged her toe again, opening her scar again and blood gushed out. If there was not that waiting time all would have been well.

The personnel on duty did not even bother to take her in as my wife was still told to wait, but seeing our daughter in that state she left the hospital and took her to an emergency private clinic, where instead of waiting the doctor was already there waiting for them.

That is the service that should be given by Mater Dei Hospital instead of having to attend a private clinic and paying a lot of money to get a wonderful service.

I hope this letter is seen by our local politicians. We are in the year 2009 but I think this island is stuck in the past.