Universiti Hospital

So I accompanied my grandmom to UH yesterday for her heart clinic. My grandmother suffers from a heart condition called 'Unstable Angina' that is insufficient blood supply to her heart, causing central chest pain and is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks. She recently had a pacemaker inserted to correct another heart condition she has - atrial fibrillation.

I was just told by my aunt to accompany her for her check up and being the filial granddaughter I rose to the challenge of waking up at 6.30 am to be there at 7. For the clinic in UH runs by a number system, that is the earlier you get the number, the faster you see the doctor. I was not told of anything but just handed a plastic bag with bits of paper in it by my aunt to bring along.

Upon arrival, I looked about, searching for a signboard to direct me to the cardiology clinic. As expected - nothing to point me the correct way. So hand in hand with my grandma, we walked towards the general direction of where she thought it was at and arrived at a place called 'Makmal Kardiology Diagnostik ECG' aka ECG Diagnostic Cardiology Lab. This is the clinic??? Why? How? It's an ECG lab! But, yeah, I suppose the government thought that it was too expensive to erect a signboard saying 'Cardio Clinic' or expects the general population to understand that a lab is a clinic.

Once inside, I went up to the enquiry desk to hand in the appointment card (that I found after tipping out all the contents in the plastic bag while the woman at the counter tells me to stand aside as she is very busy).

'Ini pacemaker clinic la - kat sana!'
'Eh, not a cardio doctor's appointment?'
'Bukan! Packemaker aje!'

Er, ok.. so i go over to 'kat sana' and hand in the appointment card. I hung around the counter as people bombarded questions at the lone woman at the counter(I'm inclined to say nurse but she was not in a uniform and had this pissy look about her face) with questions etc... and she turns to me irritated:
'Duduk, boleh duduk kah?'

Bitchy toot.

At this time, my grandma says she wants to talk to the doctor and started asking me about her blood test. Me being already pretty confused about her inconclusive packemaker or cardio doctor's appointment began to feel a slight twinge of irritation as she insists that she has to take a blood test to check herINR.(a measure of how safe a drug is in the body when taken for long term) Now, what's the association of INRs with pacemakers? (wasn't aware there was one, but then again, I am still unqualified). Jeez. And what clinic is she supposed to be at? My aunt double confirms that she has to see the doctor but the enquiry woman says packemaker clinic.
So, I head back to the enquiry counter and the woman says as I approach: 'What happen to you?!'
'Er, she needs a cardio doctor's appointment together with her pacemaker check'
'This pacemaker check will have a doctor there!'
'Ok, does she need a blood test?'
'No! No nit!'

So I return to my seat only to be questioned about this 'blood test' again by my poor grandma who is getting pretty agitated that she is not getting one. So I head over to the bitch at the packemaker clinic counter and her answer is:

'Tak tau la. Not sure.' Shrugs and turns away.

What kind of idiot sits at a clinic counter and gives an answer like that?

I return to my seat and decide - that the people here are really useless. Might as well find things out myself. So I go through all the bits of paper in the plastic bag and read all about my grandma's history and heart problem. So, she is on warfarin for her atrial fib and hence needs her INR checked but her INR was checked like last week! I call my aunt for the umpteenth time but she is also woolly about this whole INR blood and cardio/pacemaker clinic business.

#^&*.

Whatever. In the end, we did get to see our doctor though it was hardly a clinic; I had to stand the whole time as the doctor talked to me while I translate with my broken mandarin to my grandma. Just across the room, another woman has her pacemaker checked at the same time by the technician.

What happened to patient confidentiality? Privacy?

At 11.30 am I was itching to get out of the hospital (but before that I had to obviuosly lose my way while trying to get to the pharmacy) and heaved a sigh of relieve as I saw my brother's car approaching.

What with brainless gits who sit at the clinic counters, rude nurses, a lame number system - can't they have a nice little log book with patients booked in at different times - I think the whole system is going to the dogs. Thank God the doctors are nice and professional enough, though the consultation room environment is hardly what I call suitable for a country that plans to hit the developed status in 13 years.

And wait, UH is supposed to be semi private. I can't imagine what KL's General Hospital will be like.

Urgh.