Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from pensitivity101

1.  How many times have you been a patient in hospital?

I have been in hospital four times in my seventy-one years.

2.  Did you notice any differences with your experiences?

Yes, but they were years apart and all in different hospitals

I had my tonsils removed at age 7 at Groote Schuur Hospital. I have very little memory of this other than that I was glad to get home to eat jelly and ice cream which was promised in the hospital but was never given! I remember my throat being too sore to eat anything else!

Aged twenty-seven, I was in hospital for seven nights when I gave birth to my daughter in 1979. These days mothers are lucky if they spend one night in a hospital after giving birth. I felt that I learned a lot about caring for my baby while I was in the Mowbray Maternity Hospital.

I am happy to report that I was never admitted to hospital again until 2019 when I was struck down with pneumonia. I was in a private hospital in Hermanus, for five days. The general ward I was in had three other patients. On the first night, one of the elderly patients had a bad reaction to her medication and was hallucinating and screaming all night. The nurses handled her beautifully but the rest of us didn’t get much sleep! After that, she was absolutely fine.

I was also admitted to a Mediclinic in Plettenberg Bay, just before my seventieth birthday in 2022. I was visiting my daughter and went down with an attack of diverticulitis. I did not respond to the antibiotics I was given so had to go on a drip. The nursing care was excellent

.

Fortunately, other than my tonsillectomy, I have not had to undergo any surgeries.

3.  On a scale of  1 to 5, with 5 being good and 1 being poor, how would you rate food choices, and separately on the same scale, quality?

There were no choices in the maternity hospital but the food if I remember correctly was okay except for my first meal which was lunch and who wants to eat curry after giving birth? Not me! I’ll give them a 3.

Hermanus Mediclinic – choices 4 quality 4 – But then again, I had no appetite so didn’t appreciate the food at all. The good thing was that I could just choose soup or something light that I could manage.

Plettenberg Bay Mediclinic – As above.

They wouldn’t give me wine!

4.  How long were you in for?

Groote Schuur – 3 days. Maternity – 7 days. Hermanus – 5 days Plettenberg Bay – 3 days.

Gratitude

When I read about the appalling medical care that people receive at government hospitals in First World Countries, I feel immensely grateful for my medical aid which allows me to consult a doctor of my choice and go to a private hospital. However, this does not mean that government hospitals in this country are all bad. Despite the overcrowding and lack of funds, they seem to do pretty well or rather the best they possibly can.

My domestic worker had her baby at a government hospital near us and had excellent care. There are horror stories from the private hospitals too! But because I am paying, I can choose and complain if things don’t go right. Medical Aid is not cheap and it runs out quite quickly too when you’re older and need it more! There is talk of getting something like NHS in this country which I am convinced will not work well. I’m just grateful that right now my hubby and I are in good health and have access to good medical facilities.