THE EDITOR: Please allow me to air my discontent about the lack of patient centredness during my attendance at three health clinics in our country. A clinic appointment system and one for sanitation maintenance are badly in need of rectifying by the health service authorities of the Ministry of Health.
Over the past 17 years I have experienced that all patients are given the same time on the same day to attend clinics. That is, each person gets an 8 am time for an appointed day. At one clinic, authorities warn if we arrive at 9 am we will be given an appointment for another day. All, for a day, may consist of possibly 40 people or more.
Patients have developed a first-come-first-serve system on their own, with the hope to dissipate the trauma of waiting. However, it means many arrive as early as 5-6 am. Since the clinic is supposedly to start at 8 am, the 5 am people might have a three-hour plus wait and, finally, others might have up to six plus hours.
In addition, during waiting time officials are likely to make changes in the process of seeing doctors which can grossly affect everyone. A visit to the clinic usually gets emotionally disruptive.
While the clinics attempt to make changes to meet covid19 some are less than desirable. Patients have to assemble under small tents outside the clinic buildings, which are not large enough to mandate physical distancing. Toilet facilities are unacceptable as they are found unclean and unsanitised. Sanitation of indoor and outdoor facilities – seats and counters and so on – is not seen to be done with regularity.
In addition, the outmoded system of “shouting” patients’ names exists as the nurses’ call to a doctor’s office, and adds to the waiting trauma. Patients feel pressured to remain in their seats in fear of losing their turns. Yet, for many years, the pharmacy of the National Cancer Centre has provided an electronic numbering system which gives patients due privacy and solace.
I am in total praise of our health policy to provide care for all of our country’s ill citizens. I draw attention to the Government, patients’ rights and obligations policy, on respect, in which I couch my complaint, as I speak for many when I strongly advocate immediate change of the above, one which holds efficacy, and which shows awareness that patients’ lives matter.
DR YVONNE BOBB-SMITH
via e-mail
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