Shocking!

Compassion......where art thee?

This morning I had to go the University Hospital to serve a subpoena and talk to the witness concerned. The witness is a doctor in the said hospital and worked in the psychiatric department. Getting to the hospital was not a problem. But parking the car in the hospital grounds was a total nightmare. After about some 45 minutes I finally got to park my car on the 6th floor. To those who dont know this is the highest floor at the car park. The car park was filled to the brim with people parking hap hazardly everywhere.

After asking for some directions, my friend and I made way to the psychiatric clinic located at the first floor. To go up we took the lift located near some out patient clinic. The place was also packed like sardines. When the lift door rang, I was elated thinking I would be escaping the chaotic situation. All that elation disappeared into thin air when I saw the lift. It was so small at most it would be able to accommodate 4 persons. I was glad that the only other person waiting for the lift was a disabled person in a battery powered wheel chair.

The door closed and I was only too glad to make my way out when the lift stopped at the first floor. You could say I even made a slight dash to escape the lift. My friend followed behind. Then we saw that the guy in the wheelchair was stuck. He had entered the lift in reverse and therefore had difficulty reversing out! My friend Patrick the kind soul he is, quickly assisted by pulling the wheelchair out. There was only so much room in that lift that the wheel chair was stuck in trying to get out!

When we finally reached the psychiatric clinic....I almost fainted! There were so any people there. The clinic was practically filled to the brim. You can say that it was totally opposite as to what I had anticipated. How on earth any patient is going to get better in that environment? What kind of mental care can the doctors give to patients in an environment like this? I was there only for 15 minutes and already I had felt so stressed up!

Surely the powers that be cant be blind and ignorant as to the conditions at the hospital?

Oh dear.....I cant help but feeling very sorry for all those people there. I was counting my blessings that I need not have to go there for treatment.

I cant imagine that a country like ours,that boasts Formula one races and the twin towers cannot build a hospital that can accommodate the needs of a growing nation! Simply shocking!

M V Nathan