Trollheart

And don't say "Wisconsin" or something! I mean, how good or bad is it?

Those who have been following my moans on the intros to the Journal Update Thread will know that I've had my pops at the Irish health system, and damn it deserves it! If you go to A&E and DON'T have a referral letter from a GP or a Medical Card (card issued by the State to various people with long-term illnesses that allows them to get medical services and pharms free) they charge you 100 Euro for your visit before you're even seen! The sign above reception says "Have your preferred method of payment with you as you approach!"

So after paying for the privilege of getting to sit on a hard seat in the waiting room you can expect to be there for anything from 6 - 24 hours plus. Then if you want a bed you may be waiting another bunch of hours. If you want to go home (assuming you didn't need a bed and they discharged you) and like my sis need an ambulance to get you there, you can expect another 1 - 10 hours wait, and they can't say how long it will be.

A report released yesterday revealed that only 1 in 3 people who phone with life-threatening emergencies are being seen to in the requisite time (ambulance should be there in eight minutes); someone's going to die, sooner or later, waiting on an ambulance.

Now I should point out I don't blame the crews: they work all hours and they're great at what they do. This is all down to budget cuts in the health system, while the CEOs continue to award themselves huge bonuses for basically doing nothing. Same with the nurses and doctors. The ground level staff are all great but the top men make me sick.

So, what's it like where you are? Better? Worse? Does what I say about Ireland shock you, or should I be grateful I don't live where you are? Is this normal? Exceptional?

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018