Description case in the healthcare system - Essay Example

Description case in the healthcare system The smell of medicine in the air around me was overpowering, I could not stand it. But then that was not the only thing that affected me as I was being wheeled down the long white corridor that was full of bright overhead lights that hurt my eyes by just looking at them, the noise too was unbearable…there was constant screaming and incoherent mumbling and I could not help but wonder to myself “why can’t these people attend to that screaming woman so that she may keep quiet.” The screaming stopped for around a minute or two but then it was back, this time louder than before, I tried to shout something but I could not, not because my throat hurt or anything but because the creaming and incoherent mumbling was coming from me, I was in labor. This was the eve of 19th May 2011 and I had been rushed to hospital as a result of labor pains. Finally, those nurses wheeling my gurney hauled me to bed and left. Just before the last one left the room without saying even a word to me, I asked her why they were just leaving me all of them at once without even uttering a word. She told me that my doctor will be with me shortly to take my vitals and carry out my delivery process but in case of anything, I should just press the bedside bell to call for help. That was just the first hour and I had been neglected. The pains did not stop, if anything they were becoming worse by the minute and I had no one coming to check on me as promised. Judging by the wall clock in my white-walled room, it had been over two hours since my admission and not a single soul had come by to check my vitals despite it being at night and hence not many patients were being attended to. The sight of the pure white walls was sickening and I could not let the thought about how depressing they were away. With every pain in my stomach, groin and I guess the whole body; I shuddered and let out a scream full of agony to signify my current state. I could not take it anymore, I had to press that bell and call for help. Twenty minutes after pressing the so called emergency bell, a tall burly-looking like nurse appeared on my door half drowsy and I could tell by her facial expression that she was not happy to be woken up by a screaming pregnant lady or even a truly dying patient. That was to be proved a few seconds later when she said “what is it that you want?” I was in too much pain to think about it then (but thinking about it now, that was a rude remark). I explained to her my predicaments and the promise of the doctor being there soon to check on me but had seen no one for over two hours and the pain was getting worse by the minute. She just looked at me with this unbelievable expression in her eyes and just left without uttering a single word. So I decided to wait since that conversation with the mean-looking nurse got me no one. I tried to sleep but couldn’t. I just kept on writhing in pain and if I correctly remember uttering some curse words to no one in particular. Even though that was getting me nowhere, I just held my hopes that someone coming for the rounds in the patients rooms would somehow discover me and call for help that I badly needed. But that simply remained as it was…a wish since no one came. It was like I was in an abandoned home and not in a hospital that is supposed to offer 24-hour care to their patients and especially the needy ones like me. So I continued with the twisting, turning, writhing, gnashing my teeth, cursing inwards and loudly at times and more so crying and screaming all of these done almost simultaneously but the pain was simply too much to go away. I could take it no more and in my naïve state, actually thought I was going to deliver there and then with no care at all. So I did what was logical, I pressed the bell again, this time continuously and did not let go the button until someone appeared at my door. This time I was yelling and crying as I said I needed I doctor as my pain was too much and I think the baby was coming. This time I got a shy-looking nurse who seemed to be in a hurry to go away, but at least she was not rude. She asked me if I would like an anesthesia for my pain and I thought to myself “unbelievable, so they have something for my pain and no one has bothered to give it to me until now when I could take it no more,” she offered no explanation about the so called anesthesia (which I later on came to learn was an epidural anesthesia and it not advisable to be taken due to its side effects later, unless the gynecologist suggests its usage). Naturally, I was like a dying man and hence could clutch to any straw that was bound to save my life, I quickly accepted the anesthesia without any questions asked - why should I ask any questions when it’s a medical personnel suggesting a pain reliever for a patient in pain? (That turned out to be a great mistake). So anyway, the anesthesia came and soon enough, I started engaging myself in a monologue and even allowing my thoughts to start thinking about the baby I was expecting. Though it took a while, I delivered a baby boy on the 19th and soon enough was my discharge time. I gave my insurance card and left. All was well until my son’s first birthday when I got a mail with a three thousand dollar bill from the hospital charging me for the epidural anesthesia I got a year before. I was shocked since I had already paid using the insurance. The inquiry process soon revealed that the insurance could not pay for the anesthesia something that the insurance company (called the blue cross blue shield insurance) had failed to mention earlier once I was getting to sign a contract with them and it was not stipulated in any of the conditions they showed me. The insurance company insisted that the hospital staff who gave me the anesthesia was supposed to explain it to me before giving it to me, information which I never received from the shy-looking nurse or from any of the numerous medical personnel that handled my case during my hospital stay. Then it all started coming back to me; I started recalling the treatment I received that night when I was in labor. The rudeness of the nurses, the negligence and ignorance I got despite my condition then, the silent treatment I received despite being in the settings where maximum care is theoretically offered. I realized how flawed the health care system in the US is starting from the medical personnel to the insurance companies (Austin, Wetle and Wetle, 15). The patient is simply not a priority to them despite the Hippocratic Oath they took when graduating from medical school. I have still not managed to pay the exorbitant bill from the hospital, but one thing this whole experience taught me is not to trust anyone. I also learnt how not to leave anything to chance and especially concerning the health care system including asking charges for medication and medical procedures beforehand. I changed the insurance company but ensured that I frequently ask them questions concerning their services as I do not want the poor health care system to catch up with me again. Work Cited Austin, Anne, Wetle, Victoria and Wetle, Vikki. The United States Health Care System: Combining Business, Health, and Delivery. New York: Pearson, 2011. Read More