Palmo Anest

In an emergency, where should we go?

IML asked in her comment for this post:

In an emergency, which A&E should one rush to for immediate attention? I.e. a stroke or a heart attack. To the local GH or a private hospital?

I thought this should be shared to others too. Let me try to answer this difficult question.

IMHO, in an event such like a stroke or heart attack, few things can help us decide which hospital to go to for the benefit of the patient. :)

1. If one is covered by insurance or able to immediately pay the deposit in a private health care centre.

So it helps to know in detail which hospital ur insurance co allowed one to march straight to the hospital A&E to get treatment. Some policies required a panel GP's referal otherwise one might have to pay-first-claim-later.

If can't pay the private bill, go to Pg GH (HPP) on island side or Seberang Jaya Hospital (HSJ)on Seberang side. All others district hospitals cannot handle real emergency and patient would have to be transfered to the 2 hospitals mention above anyway. Some patients might then have to be transfered to HPP from HSJ again like for neuro or cardiac intervention. (lots of time lost during the process).

If one is covered, can always go ahead to private for faster service (during office hour) coz u most probably the only emergency patient at the ED. (keep the fingers crosses)

2. Fascilities and consultants in the private hospitals.

This is very different in all the hospitals. The rule is to do a survey on those hospitals. (Just like when u plan to send ur car for service or repair, we don't usually just drive to any roadside workshop right?)

3. Timing

If the said emergency happends during office hour, usually there's not much differents in all the centers with proper fascilities. But if it is out of office hour, it does varies significantly depending on the hospital policies (whether a consultant has to come to see the case immediately or at least as soon as possible in the ward after an admission), who is the MO in the ED (sometimes u might get an orthopod or O&G MO who forgotten how to read ECG, not generalised but sometimes do have such incidence), might take times to assemble the team from Lab to Radiographer to OT team or angio lab team etc. etc.

4. LUCK!

Yes, believe me, luck is very important. Bcoz medical/surgical treatments involve too many peoples and equitments along the way.

It is not only between private or public. Even private, there are a lot of differents between all those centers out there. Good luck.

Hope this help...

Feel free to add in to complete the list.

Thank you.

posted by LT @ 2:21 PM