Dear Editor,
There is no doubt that the day-to-day operations of the ER dept at SLBMC need overhauling.
Besides the long wait to see a doctor, I think the time has now come where patients who have a chronic condition such as sickle cell and other conditions that cause patients to be in serious distress and are frequent attendees to the hospital, should be given an ID card to allow them to get immediate attention upon their arrival at the ER dept.
Interestingly, most of these patients are considered as frequent flyers to the hospital. They are patients who suffers with a chronic life threatening condition and frequently visit the hospital to seek urgent service to relief them at that moment, of the agony they are facing.
Surprisingly, last evening while I was at the ER dept with my nephew who I took to see the doctor, I witnessed a young lady in some excruciating stomach pains.
It was very evident that the pain was unbearable to a point it was causing the lady to go in & out of consciousness.
To say the least, how the lady was treated by the staff at the front desk, certainly was not appealing. It was quite clear to me that the triage system that is in place at the ER dept is not working effectively. It led me to think that the staff is discourteous, unempathetic and needs professional customer service training.
It was understood that the lady’s condition, is a condition that flares up very often causing her serious distress and forces her to be a regular visitor to the hospital to seek medical treatment to get relief.
Seeing the lady in such agony along with the nurses who were on duty at the front desk going to & fro about their normal business as if no urgent attention was needed to offer to the lady made my blood run cold.
I will admit, that I was immediately forced to call out to the nurse to indicate that the lady needs help. Eventually, the lady got her vitals checked, but sadly, she was then told to wait until her name was called to see the doctor.
Of course, it is understood that the nurses at the front desk have to observe the protocols or rules that governs the front desk area and at the same time, they may not be familiar with the patient or the patient’s medical history.
However, it confuses me as to why a patient of such critical condition is not issued a medical ID card from the hospital so that they can be easily identified to the ER staff, as a patient who requires immediate attention upon their arrival.
On the otherhand it is full time that patients who are suffering with dementia or alzheimer’s disease be fitted with a tracking a band. There are too many families losing love ones because of the walking away of these sick individuals thus resulting into a fatal demise.
The authorities who are responsible to manage our lone hospital need to realize that we are now living in the 21st century. Mediocrity should not be taken for granted. If SLBMC should be a state of the art medical facility then the services from the front desk to the wards should be at its optimum.
Alex
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Great idea!!
There too many complaints about the ER department. Expanding the physical structure wont solve the issues that exists unless the staff of dept step up their game.
This may be just another case where new bottles will be accomodating old wine.
95% of members of government, PM, MP, etc. go away for their medical care. After seeing their private doctor for a diagnosis, off they go to another country for care, paid for by our tax dollars. They get the best of care. You will not see them being treated at MSJMC. I’d like to be a silent observer of how the visiting SIDS members are treated should they need medical care. Will they roll out the red carpet and bring in some professional nurses and doctors from Cuba. The kind of professionals that treat patients with care and dignity. Will their visitors get neck braces, immediate urgent care if needed, clean sheets or will they be left to sit in the ER for 12 hours. We will see.
YOU NURSES WHO HAVE NO COMPASSION FOR YOUR PATIENTS, BE CAREFUL, KARMA IS A BITCH.
YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF AT MSJMC ONE DAY BEING EATEN ALIVE BY BED BUGS.
We, the people of Antigua, deserve much better.
I’m so sick of it. Everything that is good is for the wealthy, the tourist or PM, his family and his close circle of enablers. For the rest of us they just want our labor and tax dollar.
I can understand the lack of equipment, medicine or room at times (although why essentials should be missing at the hospital???).
But I can’t understand the lack of compassion, care and simple humanity.
Not only the ER but the entire hospital needs proper and firm management. In fact the same can be said for all government services. But this will never change. From ABLP to UPP services are not important. Getting votes are important. So employing constituents for the X is what is important. We have a civil service of over 15,000, most of whom do no work, many of whom do not even bother to go to work, but none can be touched and all are paid. So people complain how much you like nothing will change. And a different government will do the same just replacing the red people with the blue ones.
Amen! Well said my friend. Point to note however I think the entire customer service system up there needs to be revamped and trained with even basic manners and professional behavior between staff and all clients. Treat each individual with respect and for the love of God simple courtesy. And have respect for our seniors when they come there, the rude little vomits treating our people with such disrespect.
I observe right infront my eye one of the sisters who run the hospital her close friend came there with a little girl an one of the lady was go sit an the sister over the hospital told her not to sit let her sanitized it first an she did that an the nurse came an was go test the little girl pressure an the sister told her not to use the one she has because it go on everybody hand an isn’t clean an the sister went for her own an sanitized it an use an she didn’t allow them to wait there turn to see doctor she by pass everyone even kids sitting in pain!!!! an took her family member to the doctor an the little girl was happily running around while other ppl sitting with there kids crying!!!! an I find it not fair wen there families or frenz go hospital they attention to them same time
nothing was even wrong with the little girl she eat something that onset her stomach an made her vomit while other ppl there in agony so if the head of hospital is doing that what do u all expect others who work there to do kmft
It’s sad to see that there is so much dissatisfaction from individuals who are bent on criticizing the Lester Bird Medical Center and there is nothing wrong with constructive criticism but this is not progressive our nurses are doing their best in light of the circumstances our nurses are the best in the Caribbean and they deserve to be elevated and not trashed of course there is need for improvement but this happens at all hospitals while in Canada on holiday I needed to fill a prescription and had to visit a walk in clinic to see a doctor to write a prescription I had to wait for 12 hours just to see him and pay 120 dollars up front so Antigua is not that bad after all and improvement will happen let’s continue to be patient and give our nurses our best support as we move forward.
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