Public healthcare - Spain & UK

For tips, tricks and secrets on good health, beauty, fitness and sport join this forum.
User avatar
Wicksey
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5878
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:21 pm
Location: Axarquia coast

Re: Public healthcare - Spain & UK

Postby Wicksey » Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:35 pm

Miro wrote: I was dismayed to find that the earliest online appointment available was three weeks hence. :shock: But they had told me when registering that it's possible to see a doctor the same day if you come in the morning, so I went along at 9:00, only to discover that they open at 8:00 and all yesterday's appointments had already been taken. Wiser, I got there at 7:50 this morning, and got an appointment for 10:30 :thumbup:
If you're not feeling well, then getting to the surgery at some unholy hour isn't very easy. Like you Miro, I am hypothyroid and it seems to affect my sleep. I often do not sleep at well night but eventually sleep heavily in the early hours making it very difficult to not only get up before 9am but to 'come to' for at least an hour in the mornings. It would be a real struggle to get anywhere at that time :cry:

Similar to other people's experience, I was in hospital near Manchester in the early 1990s and a lady with MS had had an op and couldn't fend for herself. She was left a drink with a straw in front of her for hours but it was never replenished. She used to have a newspaper open in front of her but she was stuck on the same page, so once I was unhooked from my drip I used to go across to turn the pages and talk to her along with some of the other mobile patients on the ward. I can't remember who helped her eat her meal. It was quite a big ward but there only seemed to be one or two nurses available. I dread to think what it is like now with all the cutbacks and staff shortages you hear about.

elusive
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3275
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:49 am
Location: East of Malaga

Re: Public healthcare - Spain & UK

Postby elusive » Wed Aug 16, 2017 10:26 pm

An old 80 plus year old neighour back in the uk who we last saw in april is currently in hospital after a fall.she was diagnosed with low end dementia a year or so ago but was still living at home. Anyway after having and recovering from the fall. Shes been stuck in a hospital bed for the last month as the social worker attached to her has left the job and when her son asked about finding her a care home with help of the social worker they said there is no one to replace her because of cuts and several weeks on the hospital have told the family you need to find a care home for her yourself its nothing to do with us! (Their actual words)So shes now basically bed blocking as her son doesnt know where to start looking and hes having to sort out the council taking over the house as he has no P.O.A. one care home they were told about is only a grand a week!! No wonder they can only afford to pay their staff minimum wage.

User avatar
chrissiehope
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3668
Joined: Sun May 07, 2006 7:52 pm
Location: Cheshire & near Antequera

Re: Public healthcare - Spain & UK

Postby chrissiehope » Wed Aug 16, 2017 10:43 pm

Tell her son to contact AgeUK - they are very knowledgeable & were a great help to my parents
Alexandr for President (Squire for PM !)

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read (Groucho Marx)

elusive
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3275
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:49 am
Location: East of Malaga

Re: Public healthcare - Spain & UK

Postby elusive » Thu Aug 17, 2017 8:44 am

Thanks.

laswalkirias60
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 26, 2016 6:12 pm

Re: Public healthcare - Spain & UK

Postby laswalkirias60 » Sat Aug 19, 2017 5:09 pm

Several years ago I used to stay at the red parrot hostal in torremolinos with my lifetime partner who got really unwell about 10 pm after forgetting to bring his medication to Spain for this short trip
The hostal guests recommended the public emergency room in Torremolinos to get help for him
When I spoke to the receptionist in my broken Spanish/English she slapped her hand down on the desk and shouted Espagnol, everytime I asked for help, down came the loud slap on the desk and her screeching Espagnol
From knowledge I gleaned from an old boyfriend who was resident in Malaga centro and Spanish citizen,he told me all young doctors in Malaga spoke English to an adequate standard
The receptionist didn't budge an inch, ignored my request for help and called security!!!!
No attempt was made to get help for me, and I felt very much an unwelcome foreigner in Spain the country I love!!

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Public healthcare - Spain & UK

Postby Miro » Sun Aug 27, 2017 9:21 am

I know the "Dead" Parrot well - a close friend of mine used to own it. Shame it's been closed for several years now.
I'm not surprised to hear of your experience at the ambulatorio in Torremolinos. The reception staff there are a disgrace. It's the same at the clinic in la Carihuela. Considering the number of foreign residents and tourists in the town (propping up it's economy no doubt), it's quite shocking. I've personally come up against outright discrimination (from the practice manager in Carihuela) - and I speak pretty passable Spanish! My elderly friend who I started this thread about had his GP at the ambulatorio in Calvario (where you were referred to) and could never go to an appointment on his own because he didn't speak Spanish. One of the reasons we told him many times it was time for him to move back to the UK.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 15 guests