Singapore General Hospital makes mistake
[Thursday, 31 August, 2006]
I never liked the fact that my mum tagging me along for medication appointments unless I was in a situation when the doctors might think I was “Chao Keng” and thus the companion of parent by the side was greatly appreciated. I knew for sure there would be definitely restriction to my freedom somehow.
In fact, the number of times I had gone there for appointments was more than most Singaporeans and definitely more than my mum even though she had lots of problems. It was just another home of mine, which I was really sick of going back again and thus needed no one to accompany me over.
I forced myself to wake up early even though I had a tough night less than six hours ago to continue with my path to success in web building. In the rain, we walked over to take the free shuttle bus and it took much longer than walking straight to block three instead; I could not help it but to abide by my mum’s instruction.
As, we arrived and waited patiently for the counter to check my appointment letter and call my name, the nurse seemed so puzzled at first. Then she turned to her colleague and exchanged some conversation. There was this line, “You go and speak to him la, I don’t want to get scolded.” The nurse went to the corridor of all the specialists’ rooms but came back without entering any of them.
She called for my name instead and I knew it was time to solve the mystery. She told me it was a wrong appointment because I was seeing a vascular surgery who would only be there in the afternoon.
Singapore General Hospital sounded so established, also being one of the oldest and well equipped hospital of Singapore, with so many talents working there, had made such a mistake.
“Do you need a time chip or excuse chip?”
Like what the hell I cared for it when I was clearing my leave and using my precious time to skip all activities to make the wasteful trip down?
If it was not for this wonderful wrongly scheduled appointment, I would have turned up in my ex secondary school instead. It was the Teachers’ Day celebration and so many ex schoolmates would be turning up for sure and it was the best chance to meet up with them and my respectful teachers. Even if there was no event, I would have stayed at home to recuperate or study for my future.
I kept my calmness, asking for the next earliest appointment and she told me this afternoon. I had no choice but to decline it since I had agreed to go out with Vivi already. So, in less than a week’s time, not even half of a week, I had pushed away the second opportunity to avoid spending so much money in my medication. I felt like being put to death immediately for sacrificing for girl again. Nonetheless it was not my fault as the fucking hospital should withhold any responsibility if the bill was to come to me after my ORD date.
This was not the worst of all, with my mum besides me. I was told the next appointments would be on Monday or Tuesday and my mum exclaimed, “Make it Tuesday, my appointment is on Tuesday 2.20pm.”
So, once again she turned a deaf ear to my rush of time, as usual, like how she did it daily. I had to repeat again I had to do the operation before 30th September so that I needed not pay for it and I had to see the specialist before booking the operation date which I did not know how long this Singapore Waiting Hospital would make me wait again.
I felt so much like telling my mum to go for my operation instead but did not want to hurt her. The nurse tried to ask me to waste my time this afternoon again and my mum was “on” for it like as if she was going in my place again. My blood was heated up to the boiling point and raised my voice in a stern matter, repeated that I had an appointment in the afternoon.
I could feel the heat on my face and the redness and darkness which they had probably witnessed. There was a background sound saying, “Give him the private one la, you see he’s so pissed off already.”
I could see the nurse putting on fake smiles. It was not her fault for she was not the one who scheduled the wrong appointment for me but she could at least show more sincerity. I said I wanted Monday but she filtered my words and asked for next Tuesday, like as if my mum was the one seeing the specialist for operation. I agreed since I had no choice and when she asked whether I wanted morning or afternoon session, I took the latter one as to fit my mum’s decision.
With details, on Monday, 28 August, 2006, around 1300h, the nurse at the Singapore General Hospital Clinic “F” (Orthopaedic) booked my appointment to see the vascular surgery at Clinic “C” on Thursday, 31 August, 2006, 1010h, which was a wrong appointment. Since they had delayed my appointment, I would definitely appeal for them to foot the bill if the operation date was delayed till after Saturday, 30 September, 2006.
Labels: health, highlight, hospital, vivi
... Skai (Kailun) dreams @ 11:32 AM
