At the start of this week, junior doctors across the country, excluding those who work in emergency care, took part in a 24 hour strike. A reported 4,000 routine operations were cancelled and only God knows how many people were left unattended to, or taken to with the least appropriate care. It is beyond my comprehension how this statistic isn't enough for the government to really revolutionise the NHS and quit talking about it in fancy terms in parliament, and start taking immediate action to solve issues accordingly.
For the last three to four days, I have been in and out of hospital for a severe experience of gastritis, the acid in my body at its maximum causing my anxiety levels to soar sky high resulting me having numerous panic attacks, convinced I was going to die. Only God knows how much pain and suffering I have been in this week and how honoured and blessed I feel that I am now able to eat. Maybe I wouldn't have got better had it not been for the NHS diagnosing my illness and giving me the right medicine. But I must say, I am extremely angry and appalled at the level of service, or should I say lack of in the emergency department and the nurses and doctors with no empathy but rude and impatient attitudes. Why go into a career that is at the heart of caring for people if you don't know how to deal with people and don't have no streak of humanity in your conduct?
You may think I'm exaggerating or being a drama queen, but I kid you not I am not. Let me take you back to about three days ago, I could barely talk, I was in excruciating pain, I got booked into an out of hours GP appointment at the local hospital. The doctor that had initially booked in my appointment rushed me on the phone, advising I listen to her and get my self into the nearest available slot, which was then in thirty minutes, due to the severity of my symptoms and illness. Please tell me why then upon arrival, the GP saw me after thirty minutes of me arriving and after examining me, had the cheek to tell me that the medicine I needed there and then was out of stock. The time was past midnight .. probably about 3am, I was told I had to go and get the medicine myself. The only 24 hour pharmacy open at that time was all the way in Croydon. I was very angry. What the hell are the NHS smoking I thought to myself bitterly. Yes there are cuts which have been made, but I also know that the government has raised their spending budget, so what exactly are they doing which means the medicine I need immediately is not made available to me?
The night thereafter, I was back in hospital, this time staying overnight as I was in 10/10 pain with very agonizing chest pains leaving me unable to consume any types of foods or even drink water. I was put on drips and after a good couple of hours of continuously falling asleep and crying, I was woken up and given a cocktail of tablets and then soon after a dose of morphine. I was very anxious to take the morphine, as my head was already spinning and I knew this was a very strong drug. Anyway I started vomiting and my heart beat was racing, as my mother called out for help, hardly any nurses and doctors were in view. This both infuriated and alarmed me, how could I have been in the emergency department and there wasn't anyone to help me or come to my aid?! I felt humiliated, uncared for and stranded in the cubicle I was in. What is the point of the NHS existing if they are not there for one when needed? After I had come of the drips, I was feeling weak and nauseous, I asked one of the nurses for some food desperately and I was informed that there was no food in stock. So first no medicine in stock, and then no food?
The previous night before, I was in a very poorly state and I was sent back home in that state for the simple reasons they had to free up more beds. The hospital I was in received a considerable amount of financial assistance and innovation, how beds and rooms could still be an issue is beyond me. We are now in the new year 2016 and I cannot help but worry about the current elderly generation and the future young generation coming up.
Although a part of me understands why new medics are those who have been working in the medicinal industry may be fed up with low and basic pay for one of the most significant careers in the world, a part of me views those on strike as money-motivated and arrogant. Surely they did their homework when entering the profession and outweighed their passion for helping people as well as their monetary visions, surely .. so how and why the strikes? I personally think it is unjust and unfair for junior doctors to go on strike, they are the bread and butter of the senior team in the hospital, they fill in the gaps, without them the whole thing will come crashing down.
My family members keep banging on about how modernised and valuable the NHS is in this country compared to the health services abroad, I can't help but be stubborn and argue my point. Even today as I took my siblings for a day out to eat and do some shopping, I saw people protesting for the NHS to be saved and I felt seething anger. How can we save the NHS when the NHS does not want to be saved itself? Call me this, call me that, this is my opinion. Unfortunately, I've got the 'I'm sick of the NHS syndrome' and I don't think the NHS have a viable cure for it!
You may think I'm exaggerating or being a drama queen, but I kid you not I am not. Let me take you back to about three days ago, I could barely talk, I was in excruciating pain, I got booked into an out of hours GP appointment at the local hospital. The doctor that had initially booked in my appointment rushed me on the phone, advising I listen to her and get my self into the nearest available slot, which was then in thirty minutes, due to the severity of my symptoms and illness. Please tell me why then upon arrival, the GP saw me after thirty minutes of me arriving and after examining me, had the cheek to tell me that the medicine I needed there and then was out of stock. The time was past midnight .. probably about 3am, I was told I had to go and get the medicine myself. The only 24 hour pharmacy open at that time was all the way in Croydon. I was very angry. What the hell are the NHS smoking I thought to myself bitterly. Yes there are cuts which have been made, but I also know that the government has raised their spending budget, so what exactly are they doing which means the medicine I need immediately is not made available to me?
The night thereafter, I was back in hospital, this time staying overnight as I was in 10/10 pain with very agonizing chest pains leaving me unable to consume any types of foods or even drink water. I was put on drips and after a good couple of hours of continuously falling asleep and crying, I was woken up and given a cocktail of tablets and then soon after a dose of morphine. I was very anxious to take the morphine, as my head was already spinning and I knew this was a very strong drug. Anyway I started vomiting and my heart beat was racing, as my mother called out for help, hardly any nurses and doctors were in view. This both infuriated and alarmed me, how could I have been in the emergency department and there wasn't anyone to help me or come to my aid?! I felt humiliated, uncared for and stranded in the cubicle I was in. What is the point of the NHS existing if they are not there for one when needed? After I had come of the drips, I was feeling weak and nauseous, I asked one of the nurses for some food desperately and I was informed that there was no food in stock. So first no medicine in stock, and then no food?
The previous night before, I was in a very poorly state and I was sent back home in that state for the simple reasons they had to free up more beds. The hospital I was in received a considerable amount of financial assistance and innovation, how beds and rooms could still be an issue is beyond me. We are now in the new year 2016 and I cannot help but worry about the current elderly generation and the future young generation coming up.
Although a part of me understands why new medics are those who have been working in the medicinal industry may be fed up with low and basic pay for one of the most significant careers in the world, a part of me views those on strike as money-motivated and arrogant. Surely they did their homework when entering the profession and outweighed their passion for helping people as well as their monetary visions, surely .. so how and why the strikes? I personally think it is unjust and unfair for junior doctors to go on strike, they are the bread and butter of the senior team in the hospital, they fill in the gaps, without them the whole thing will come crashing down.
My family members keep banging on about how modernised and valuable the NHS is in this country compared to the health services abroad, I can't help but be stubborn and argue my point. Even today as I took my siblings for a day out to eat and do some shopping, I saw people protesting for the NHS to be saved and I felt seething anger. How can we save the NHS when the NHS does not want to be saved itself? Call me this, call me that, this is my opinion. Unfortunately, I've got the 'I'm sick of the NHS syndrome' and I don't think the NHS have a viable cure for it!