One of my close relative got very sick . I had to call the ambulance . 999 -I dialed .They were here in no time .After some therapy and a lots of talk by the paramedic they decided to take her to hospital .
And the surprise came then .We live only 5 minute ride from the Hamad which is the main hospital here .But she was taken to Al- Wakra ,a little town from the heart of Doha - 40 minute ride in the peak hours !
The other surprise was that the paramedic totally misunderstood the problem .No he was not Arab ,nor Indian . He was a Western expat and his first language was English .Apparently he did not get used to non-native speakers or he just had preconceptions .
Finally we were there at Wakra hospital emergency . it was lunch time - 3 women in pain were jammed in one assessment room and one Indian male nurse tried to deal with them . After 20 minutes a female nurse arrived and transferred all the woman to a simple waiting area free for visitors .More women in pain arrived in wheel chairs - some of them were pale and close to passing out -others were walking doubled by the pain .How humiliating to spend time in a public area in such condition !
After one hour finally we saw a doctor . He was an Indian male doctor seemed to be intelligent and realized that my relative needs to be observed .
The observation room was nice - I like the privacy there -the partitions ... she got some medication and quiet bed to relax .
This is what she needed and I became quiet .
Everybody was nice .Doctors came to see her often and nurses too . Everyone was treating her with respect and sympathy .But after 5 hours she was declared to be fine and was asked to leave the hospital !
She was not fine at all - she arrived there weak ,in pain and in wheel chair . She was forced to leave weak , trembling in wheel chair .
In my opinion they should have observed her for another 5 hours at least .
But this is what someone gets in a government hospital - I thought - I am sure that if it happened in a private hospital she would have been observed for a day at least .
They even told her politely " please ,hurry up leaving as other patients need this place "'Hurry up - for a trembling weak patient ! "
I was in stress hoping she would not faint during the ride home . I made silent calculations about private hospital costs .
.Luckily , after some hours she was much better ...lesson learned - no way to call the ambulance rather take the person in need by car to the nearest hospital's emergency ...Hamad Hospital staff is much better organized than Wakra !
