- My wife
- Her neighbor
My wife collapsed in church on October 30th and had to go to the emergency room by ambulance. This has been a wake-up call for both of us and a learning experience in terms of navigating the Irish health care system.
The public hospitals are vastly over-crowded and under-staffed... With no more rooms available, people are forced to wait on gurneys in crowded hallways.
After 12 hours of waiting for her to see a doctor I was frustrated enough to have a heated conversation with one of the powers that be (I admit to using a few choice words including "malpractice"...). She needed a specific scan and they apparently aren't staffed to do these on the weekends. Someone was finally called in to perform the scan and thankfully her health scare wasn't serious at this particular time. They wanted her to stay overnight on the gurney in the hallway, but after so much time and frustration, we thought it best that she sleep in her own bed at home...
To be continued...
