Dear Editor,

Why does our health care system treat the sick so poorly?

My mother, Eula Hamilton, is an 85-year-old blind woman. She had no other health issues, except for the obvious signs of aging and the limitations caused by her blindness. She, in fact, lives independently in her home and only needs someone to prepare her meals.

On Thursday, January 8, 2015, she became very ill with vomiting and excruciating abdominal pain. She was unable to stand on her own or even walk. So my wife and I brought her to Cornwall Regional Hospital. We got to the hospital around midnight. When we got to the Accident and Emergency Department, the security informed us that only one person is allowed to go inside with my mother, so my wife went in with her while I waited outside. Triage staff saw her quickly. He inserted an IV and sent her for an X-ray, then directed the nurse to insert a nasal gastric tube. Within a short time the X-ray was done and reviewed by a doctor. He said that he had some concerns and he wanted a specialist to look at the X-ray and assess my mother. My wife called me on my cellphone and kept me updated as things unfolded. At this point, I was pleased.

During the course of our wait at A&E, my mother’s symptoms increased and she was in severe pain. She needed assistance to go to the bathroom and no hospital staff was available to assist. After pleading with the security guard she allowed me inside to help my wife assist my mother. After we took her to the bathroom and cleaned her, using our own supplies, I went and bought diapers. This was not without accident. I was disgusted with the lack of compassion displayed by the people who were supposed to help us.

Around 9:00 am (January 9) a specialist, Dr McDaniel, and a team examined her and determined that she had a mass in her colon. A CT scan was recommended. Since the hospital’s CT machine was broken at the time, I decided to pay the fee to get it done privately. After paying for the scan at Radiology West, I brought the receipt to the doctor at A&E as I was told to do. We were told that an ambulance would take my mother to the get the CT scan then bring her back to the hospital. After waiting in A&E until 2:00 pm, one nurse suggested that I go to the transportation office and ask what is happening. When I inquired, a lady at the desk told me that my mother would be taken by 3:00 pm. At 4:00 pm I returned to the transportation office and was told, “We will not be able to take her today, sir.” By this time, my mother had been sitting in a wheelchair in A&E for 16 hours. By now it was the weekend and CT was not posoible till Monday.

Around 7:00 pm they finally decided to admit my mother to ward 7E. Visiting the ward was a real challenge. The limit of having one hour in the afternoon and one in the evening is too restrictive, especially for patients who rely on their loved ones for care that is not provided by the staff. I witnessed the nurses’ lack of professionalism and arrogance. On a visit January 13, we found my mother soaked in her nightgown because the IV tube was leaking. It had leaked all over the bedlinen. My mother told us she felt wet for about two hours and that she called the nurse, but no one came. My mother speaks very loudly and her bed was the closest to the nurses’ station. Due to the fact that my mother cannot see, she was worried that she was soaked in blood. When we brought it to the nurse’s attention, we were told that she would not be cleaned for a while because the doctor had to change the IV first. At the time, there were three nurses at the nurses’ station just talking. After a second plea for help, one of the nurses brought clean sheets and a pair of gloves to my wife then went back to the nurses’ station. We had to locate a bedpan and basin so that she could pass her stool and be tidied. No nurse offered assistance, even when asked. At last we finished, and at that moment the security announced that visiting hour was over and we had to leave the ward.

On January 14 my wife and I went to the hospital around 8:00 am to meet with the doctor who was treating my mother. While we waited outside the ward, we saw a sister nurse and we stopped her. We complained about all the problems we were having and the unfortunate encounters my mother had with staff. She apologized and advised us that during the day when supervision is on the ward these unfortunate occurrences do not happen. She promised to rectify the situation. By this time my mother insisted that she would not be spending another night. She was discharged that same day.

Other families complained about the lackadaisical attitude of the hospital staff as well. I related my mother’s story to a visitor and she advised me not to complain, because when you complain, the staff treats the patients worse.

After the CT scan was done (January 12), Dr Longmore informed us that my mother had two masses that were causing a blockage in her colon. He also said that we needed to move quickly with the tests and subsequent remedy. A biopsy sample was taken (January 14) to determine the nature of the mass in her colon. She was then given an appointment for January 28 to get her test results. When she showed for her appointment, and waited for approximately four hours, she was told that the doctor responsible was not there and she should return on February 2. My mother does not live in Montego Bay. She has to travel in her sick state to get there. There was no apology. How can they be so insensitive?

My mother journeyed back to the hospital on February 2 to get her results, but her file did not have the results. When the results came, Dr Neblett said, “It shows normal, but something must be wrong.” He was one of the doctors who did the initial physical exam and felt the mass. He ordered the test be re-done on February 10. She was prescribed an enema to clean out her lower bowels.

The preparation for the retest was done and my mother went to the hospital at 8:00 as requested. She met with Dr Neblett and was placed in a prep room where they put on a hospital gown. She waited in the room for eight hours, and at 4:00 pm she was told that the new sample could not be taken because they do not have the equipment required (forceps) to do the biopsy. She was told to return the following week on February 17. She was given a new prescription and instructed to go home.

This is just a snippet of the problems we encountered. We understand the constraint on the health care system, but surely they can do better. My mother’s illness has been exasperated by countless disappointment in her medical care.

Over a month later, my mother still has two masses in her colon causing a partial blockage, and we are uncertain if the masses are cancerous in nature. Time is of the essence, and we are afraid that her condition will worsen as we wait. If this is how urgent medical cases are handled, I feel very sorry for all the sick people who have to use the public health care system.

Joseph Hamilton

josephhamilton100@gmail.com