Something said by someone wiser than me* on Twitter today was 'Funny how the term 'socialized medicine' moves the base line. US is the exception, we have healthcare, they have have privatized healthcare'
Then I see this terrible story.
…The suit was especially critical of the hospital's emergency ward, saying it is so poorly staffed that patients are often marooned there for days while they wait to be evaluated.
While I may well moan about the state of the NHS, I still think that it was a brilliant idea and that it still does a fine job under difficult circumstances.
I think that this story should be printed on the wall of every A&E department in the country in order to point it out to patients who complain about waiting four hours for their sore knee problems.
*I've been in the same room as him twice, yet never had the chance to go and talk to him. Third time is the charm.
another story from the richest state in the world?LA officials grapple with hospital deathMay 15, 2007http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/la-officials-grapple-with-hospital-death/2007-05-16Tuesday, June 12, 2007DEATH IN THE E.R. LOBBYEdith Isabel Rodriguez died of a perforated bowel last month in Los Angeles. Tragic, but not news.But her death is a national story for several reasons. Two people separately called 911 as Rodriguez was dying and begged for paramedics to help her.Both callers were spurned by emergency dispatchers — because Rodriguez was already at a hospital. In the lobby of the emergency room. Bleeding out for 45 minutes as medical staff ignored her and a janitor mopped the blood Rodriguez was vomiting.
I am not all that surprised. I took patients to Kings County Hospital on a regular basis when I worked in Brooklyn. Apart from the trauma unit, which was excellent, (most of the time) the rest of the hospital was, to put it mildly, a shit hole. The psych unit had a rather infamous reputation, even back then. (I worked Brooklyn from 1987-1999.)As for your other point regarding US healthcare, it is a far more complex issue than just “privatized healthcare,” and even that is not completely accurate. To be sure, it is a system that needs some serious overhaul, and those who think that simply implementing some form of universal healthcare (socialized medicine, if you will) is going to be a panacea for all its ills are deluding themselves. Certainly, it would be a boon as far as basic health care coverage, but there is so much more that needs to be considered.
I speak to this issue quite personally, as both a former health care provider, administrator, and as a user, being a liver transplant recipient.
Ironically enough, I was on my way to email you this story when I noticed that you had posted this entry. Congrats on being that much faster than me. I think we all can agree that this story is despicable, and that it highlights some of the problems that the US has with its health care. I do hope that the States are on the right path to fix what is wrong.However, I find myself wondering if this sort of situation could possibly be endemic to those in the health care field as a whole, regardless of nationality. While I am sure that the vast majority of doctors, nurses, paramedics, etc. are excellent caregivers, I wonder how easy it is for a professional to drop into the fatigue of thinking “oh, it's just another crackhead.”NB: I wanted to give some personal thanks to you for the services you provide to the public. I recently returned to the USA from spending a year in London, and unfortunately I ended up having to call the LAS in two separate occasions during that year. Both times the staff I interacted with were professional, caring, and informative, and I hope that that is indicative of the LAS as a whole. Again, thank you!
A terrible and uncommon incident in another country caused by an apathetic and unprofessional staff justifies Britain's system of socialized medicine? Pretty weak, Tom.
Oh, it's not me making an argument agaisnt privatised medicine. To do that would take me a few hundred words.It just struck me with both the comment and this story hitting my brain at the same time.
Nationality or location have nothing really to do with human failure , it can occur any where, it is leadership has to be on the guard to leep man on his/her toes.the alpha character can make the staff perform to the greatest heights or the lows.
Now that I be totally unemployable,getting my oats and water and a bit of pasture, waiting for the 'centurie', has seen one “leader” turn an outfit from a sows ear into a silk purse and vice a versa, my experience or view is that there be very few bad workers as most want to shine only idiots destroy the incentive which is not money , when money becomes an issue , it really is the lack of morale or self esteem of the unit that is failing
.