Patient Discrimination

By glitch, on October 31st, 2008

Part 2 of Giving Birth On Lying-In Centers

I told my sister, my niece to accompany the house guest and I will follow them to Pasay General Hospital. When I got there, the patient (house guest) is already inside OB Emergency Room (2nd floor), no companions are allowed inside. There’s a small window so that attending nurse can call on patient’s companion in case they need to tell something.

The nurse was monitoring the patient’s blood pressure, they’ve will asked us to buy gloves, syringe and medicine. During the “interview” (on the small window), the nurse asked us why we bring the patient there. I told her what is true, the lying in center brought us and recommended their hospital… and explained the patient’s condition (hypotension). She said, we’re not Pasay residents and the patient didn’t deliver the baby to their hospital. She also said that the midwife should have stayed to monitor the patient’s condition and they not supposed to transfer the patient with unstable blood pressure. Am I supposed to know what the medical team’s SOP? I thought, this is an emergency situation.

The doctor came after 10 minutes, she said “the patient’s blood pressure is stable at 90/70″ and we could transfer the patient to PGH (Philippine General Hospital) or Paranaque Community Hospital. Why? Because we’re NOT Pasay residents. I asked her if we could transfer the patient to Ospital ng Maynila, she said “bahala ho kayo basta community hospital or PGH” and she handed me the patient’s records. She’s a doctor by profession.

At that point, I felt bad. Pasay General Hospital gave me the impression that the hospital is for Pasay residents only. So if we have emergency situation within Pasay, we cannot count on them, better go to PGH or OM or anywhere but not Pasay General Hospital not unless you live in Pasay.

During that time, I was thinking that if something bad happened to our patient, Pasay General Hospital will also be liable. We stayed there for almost an hour, rode a cab and transferred to Ospital ng Maynila.

What am I supposed to feel? Nagaksaya lang kami ng oras para ipagtabuyan lang. (We wasted our time and they drive us away) Correct me if I’m wrong to my translation.