Public Healthcare- the long wait

My retired friends told me the way to get subsidised medical care is to go to polyclinic to get all types of referral. I have a heart condition called MVP which was diagnosed by a private cardiologist umpteen years ago and who said 1 in 5 people have it and does not need treatment. People having this defect have skipped heartbeats.

Of late feeling a bit breathless occasionally and given that women of my age have the same probability of getting heart attack as men, I heeded my friends' advice and sought out the polyclinic for referral to a government hospital specialist. The young doctor at the polyclinic was alarmed that I have an abnormal ECG (which I always have). Straight to the SGH A&E was his command. I was also quite alarmed that he was alarmed, so straight I went in a cab (don't take MRT he ordered).

People who say they feel breathless, giddy or chest pain are very quickly checked by the nurses and huddled into the CCU, Critical Care Unit. I was laid on a trolley, pushed around for clinical review, xray and blood test. I was wheeled in at 1.30pm and was surprised that not only all the cubicles were filled but trolley beds with patients were lined in rows in the open area. By the time I finished all the tests and was told to wait 2 hours for results, the space around the nurse station was also lined with trolley beds. When they ran out of beds they put patients in wheel chairs. A high percentage of the patients were old folks in 60s and 70s. My, I am really OLD before my time. Now I know why the government is promoting healthy living! Hey the baby boomers like me have not trickled in yet (other than weaklings or hyponchondriacs like me). How is our public healthcare going to cope when the babyboomers' health start failing one by one.

All the patients in the CCU are not allowed to go toilet unattended. So you have lots of old folks called "Nurse, nurse, bang jieuw" just to receive occasional response from kinder staff who say "dan dan" for eternity. By 6 in the evening my trolley bed was pushed further and further until I almost reached the exit. See they have to push the beds around to make room for walking and other beds to be sent for xray and tests etc. At one point, my bed was parked outside one cubicle with drawn curtain and I could hear the nurses attending to a lady patient saying "I need to wipe away your faeces which is all over your body and wear pampers for you". The lady has food poisoning. Gosh I tried to push my trolley inches away by grapping another pillar only to be pushed back to make room, sigh. By evening my bed was so close to the exit, an injured indian worker who was just wheeled in was lined next to my bed, bed touching bed, and I could smell his sweat. That's not really an issue with me. The issue was I had not taken lunch and it is far past dinner. Fortunately I managed to get a student nurse to fill up my mineral water bottle.

During the long wait I lent my handphone to an old lady and regretted because she started talking very loud, blaming her son for bringing her to hospital and said she was waiting endlessly for the doctor and she "zai kan xi" (is watching a show). I also helped called the wife for another patient because I couldnt pass my hp to him.

By the time the cardiologist came around it was evening and he said I didnt have signs of heart attack, so no admission and he will give me an appointment to see the heart specialist and CPP for me. "Yes" I thought this was my objective. "What is CPP doctor?" I asked. "Oh, the normal Chest Pain Procedure" he said. I called my husband to announce I can get out. The nurse came and told me I would have to stay in observation ward for 8 hours, do another 2 ECGs and one blood count before I can be discharged after another review by the ward doctor. Hey, but didnt the cardiologist say no admission. Only then I was told CPP means 8 hour observation. I waited another 1 hour in the CCU before there was room in the Observation ward.

By the time I was allowed to go home it was 3 am. Though I could stay till the morning I told the nurse no thank you. Today they called me to say my specialist appointment will be 4 May, almost 2 months from now!

I know if I had gone to a private cardiologist I would have gotten a scan or whatever tests that are necessary almost immediately. I would probably spend >$1 or 2 K. Should I have done that instead? The test and the 8 hour observation at SGH would probably cost me $200 already although it can be paid out of medisave. So you see, the polyclinic route may not be the most efficient. Hope someone can enlighten me on what is the most cost beneficial way of getting specialist treatment now that I am not working. However one must also remember because of high medical cost and mean testing being in place soon, it may be wise to have a medical history by the polyclinic route.