Coronavirus

[Pamela1]

These phone in's to doctors are leading to many problems..already have for many people who have had several misdiagnosis and for those like my daughter whose ammune system is rock bottom after she's had 5 lots of antibiotics thrown at her throughout the past 5 months and no further forward...Surely they have had enough time to re organise and see people in their surgeries.. if opticians can test your eyes then what's stopping a doc taking your blood preassure!..From what i've heard from my sis in law in Spain it sounds not much different to here...docs putting everything down to the virus as the doc here has done with my daughter....He finally gave in when she demanded to be seen by a specialist and he offered her a test to confirm his suspicion of her already having had the virus..more like covering his own back as her medical records will show he's made no attempt to get to the bottom of her condition except give out antibiotics.Test result came back today and it says she has never had the virus..I will be glad when she is finaly seen by someone who may be able to tell her what is going on although when that appointment comes through is anyones guess...

[elusive]

Huge amount of areas in both the uk and Spain have not been hugely affected by covid interms of hospital inpatients and general appointments. Velez seems to be as normal and should be as theres been minimal inpaitent cases.thankfully for my friend cancer services were ran as normal.in the uk a friend who's daughter is a nurse in a large city hospital says most of the staff have nothing to do as ppl aren't coming in to A&E and appointments are been cancelled. She said they spent most of their time making those stupid ticktock videos!

[spanish_lad]

news24 on tv said that there were cases in torre del mar yesterday. A friends daughter has caught it, we havent seen them in months, we talk via whatsapp.

then 3 local policemen have caught it in Coin too.

[katy]

Huge amount of areas in both the uk and Spain have not been hugely affected by covid interms of hospital inpatients and general appointments. Velez seems to be as normal and should be as theres been minimal inpaitent cases.thankfully for my friend cancer services were ran as normal.in the uk a friend who's daughter is a nurse in a large city hospital says most of the staff have nothing to do as ppl aren't coming in to A&E and appointments are been cancelled. She said they spent most of their time making those stupid ticktock videos!

Hospital waiting lists at Hospital Axarquia were high before Covid and Hospitals in all countries are experiencing delays. Can't see Spain being any better now. Has been in the news frequently although not seen any recent stats. Many Doctors in the UK are blaming hospital managers for concentrating on a Covid only service. A friend on the CDS waited over 5 months for a knee operation finally had a date in march, cancelled of course and still no information of another date.
When I went to outpatients in June with OH the UK hospital was almost empty of patients although plenty of nurses stood around chatting. People now realising after the clapping what the propaganda really meant when the said "Save the NHS"

Además, prosigue este responsable, “en el caso del centro hospitalario axárquico es realmente preocupante cómo se ha producido un aumento en la demora media para la atención quirúrgica pasando de los 167 días de junio de 2019 a los 195 días de media de diciembre del mismo año, ocasionando un grave perjuicio a personas que necesitan ser intervenidos”.
https://www.diarioaxarquia.com/noticias ... r-la-junta

https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news ... hed-staff/

[Free at Last]

So that's referring to the second half of 2019. Waiting lists for routine surgery may have been long, but I can't say I noticed any deficiency in more urgent matters. I was diagnosed with cancer in September (was seeing a specialiast at the Hospital Comarcal de la Axarquia 3 days after my GP had made an urgent referral) and had surgery there (after a biopsy, further appointment to get the results and treatment plan, an MRI scan, blood test and consultation with the anaesthesiologist) in October. Went back for my post-op checkup a month later. I was told I would have six-monthly check-ups for the next 3 years followed by annual ones for 2 years, and given my first follow-up appointment in May 2020. Given what was happening at that time I was quite expecting it to be postponed or have some kind of telephone consultation instead, and when a call came in from the hospital the day before that's what I thought they were going to say. But no, it was just to remind me of my appointment the following day, and it went ahead with a physical examination and ultrasound included. I was handed my next appointment for November 2020.

Incidentally, were I in the UK with the same type of cancer which only needed surgery and no further treatment, I would not be having any of these regular check-ups for 5 years. There the protocol is to put patients on "self referral", ie get in touch with us if you experience any worrying symptoms. That was the case before the pandemic ever happened. I find having the examinations and tests plus a consultation with the specialist much more reassuring.

This morning I met someone I know whom I hadn't seen for a few weeks and learned that he'd been an inpatient at the same hospital for 2 weeks due to a persistent chest infection, to be kept on intravenous antibiotics. There was no delay in admitting him.

[elusive]

Family member went to the drs in Feb and got a referral appointment for Velez for may which was cancelled and rescheduled for the autumn. Nothing of importance that couldn't wait. They were going to cancel anyway as didn't fancy the visit during lockdown.

The problem in the uk is everything seems to have been put on hold. How many extra cancer deaths next year cause ppl didn't get scans etc. Theres no excuse for that. As free said a friend here has had the same experience re cancer care. Call backs during lockdown,the lump taken out and gene tests carried out on it to where they could tell her what the,% of it returning would be. A 20 % chance which they weren't happy with so she having chemo until the end of the year. The dr says it will reduce the chances of recurrence to around 5% . Having experienced terrible cancer care treatment in the uk. This is very impressive and no wonder spain has a high survival rate

[Free at Last]

Además, prosigue este responsable, “en el caso del centro hospitalario axárquico es realmente preocupante cómo se ha producido un aumento en la demora media para la atención quirúrgica pasando de los 167 días de junio de 2019 a los 195 días de media de diciembre del mismo año, ocasionando un grave perjuicio a personas que necesitan ser intervenidos”.
https://www.diarioaxarquia.com/noticias ... r-la-junta

https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news ... hed-staff/

Alternative figures in this report say that the Andalucian Health Service carried out 26,698 more operations in 2019 than had been the case in 2018 (an increase of 5.32%) and the average waiting time for surgery (not broken down into different types of surgery) decreased in 2019 to 159 days, from the previous 208. 159 days is actually not that bad, just over 5 months.

https://www.elmundo.es/andalucia/2020/0 ... b4732.html

[Free at Last]

The big Málaga hospitals transferred their less urgent cardiac surgery and neuro surgery cases to private hospitals which had been requisitioned as part of the plan to keep essential services going during the pandemic.

https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20200 ... adena.html

https://www.chiphospital.es/noticias/el ... ital-chip/

[katy]

There was no delay in operating on OH at the height of the scaremongering for an operation(3 days after diagnosis) but one swallow doesn't make a summer, or what a friend says. My point is if waiting lists were so bad in Axarquia in March they are hardly likely to have improved have they I prefer to go by official stats with a bit of error room for them being tweaked.

[katy]

If everything is so hunky dory during a crisis why has Hospital Axarquia been failing during the last few years?

[Free at Last]

I live in the area served by this hospital and in 14 years I have never met anyone who has been treated there who has described it as "failing". They have all commented favourably on the treatment they have received.

The complaints I am seeing from Spanish people on things like local Facebook groups at the moment relate to problems in accessing primary care, not the hospital. I pass our local Health Centre practically every day on my way to the shops, and it's sad to see a long queue of people kept waiting outside, in the blazing sun. Presumably they're there because they're ill, because you can't get a face to face appointment unless the doctor deems it necessary, so that's hardly going to be good for them. When you go to the Hospital Comarcal de la Axarquia for an outpatient appointment, you are not kept waiting outside the building, so why can't patients be allowed into the health centre to wait, provided they are wearing a mask, of course. If both the staff and patients have the appropriate levels of PPE,good hygiene is practised and the number of people in attendance is kept down by dealing with things like repeat prescriptions over the phone and not allowing patients to be accompanied unless it's really necessary, where is the problem?

[elusive]

They are prob using covid as an excuse to change things. bringing it in via the backdoor so to speak.

[spanish_lad]

I´ve just been to los alamos / torremilinos beach before work, and it was heaving, packed to the rafters. nowhere to park, queues outside the chiringuitos, groups of 10+ with umbrellas and pergolas all over the beach. If you wanted to be within 50m of the sea you had no chance, it was packed !

[katy]

Old Normality then

[Pamela1]

I live in the area served by this hospital and in 14 years I have never met anyone who has been treated there who has described it as "failing". They have all commented favourably on the treatment they have received.

The complaints I am seeing from Spanish people on things like local Facebook groups at the moment relate to problems in accessing primary care, not the hospital. I pass our local Health Centre practically every day on my way to the shops, and it's sad to see a long queue of people kept waiting outside, in the blazing sun. Presumably they're there because they're ill, because you can't get a face to face appointment unless the doctor deems it necessary, so that's hardly going to be good for them. When you go to the Hospital Comarcal de la Axarquia for an outpatient appointment, you are not kept waiting outside the building, so why can't patients be allowed into the health centre to wait, provided they are wearing a mask, of course. If both the staff and patients have the appropriate levels of PPE,good hygiene is practised and the number of people in attendance is kept down by dealing with things like repeat prescriptions over the phone and not allowing patients to be accompanied unless it's really necessary, where is the problem?

Exactly, there is no problem, just one which they are creating for those having to stand and wait outside, it's totally disgusting how people are being treated and i think it's happening everywhere...I can't help but agree with what many people are saying in the Uk not just about doctors but many other establishments and businesses, the attitude has changed dramatically above and beyond what is necessary, it feels like they think they have been given the authority of position which entitles them to be cold and rude with an air of i'm above you attitude, this is even evident from staff in suppermarkets..What is wrong with people!!

[olive]

Nowhere in Mercadona is there a diagram explaining the new process for unloading your trolley. We watched today the newly empowered Hitlers on checkouts getting people to do the job correctly.

[El Cid]

99% of customers have known how to do it for at least 3 months!

What a ridiculous comment. Newly empowered Hitlers, you must be joking. Their staff are the most friendly and helpful that I have come across in a Spanish supermarket.

Sid

[gruff]

Err, I'm coming to Spain Friday, could someone please explain this new process?

[olive]

99% of customers have known how to do it for at least 3 months!

What a ridiculous comment. Newly empowered Hitlers, you must be joking. Their staff are the most friendly and helpful that I have come across in a Spanish supermarket.

Sid

99%? Well I have only been back a month. There will be lots of other people who havent been here for the last three months. Hundreds go through the tills each day so the “one” percent is still a lot.

Just reporting what I observed on the last two occasions. I do agree that Mercadona staff are generally very friendly and helpful

[elusive]

Nowhere in Mercadona is there a diagram explaining the new process for unloading your trolley. We watched today the newly empowered Hitlers on checkouts getting people to do the job correctly.

It's funny cause a friend in the uk who works in a Tesco says all of this has just brought out the little hitlers and jobsworth she has the "pleasure" of working with.

Err so what is the "new" process? One time during lockdown the checkout lady was trying to get me to do something with my trolley. I had no idea what she meant as we haven't got to that bit in my spanish class yet. I never got asked again and had no idea what the aim was either. Especially when there was no que around me.