Hospital Visit (Casualty)

hammersfan recently posted about his Poly Clinic visit and I think this is a great idea.

I recently dealt with the Poly Clinic in Gzira and ended up being taken to casualty so will inform about both.

I also got given a number (135) at the clinic but no numbers were called. There were about 10 people in the waiting area and its up to you when you walk in to ask who the last person in, was. You then know that once they've had their turn, you're up. Not a great system as there is a lot of room for queue jumping.

However I was lucky and everyone went in order. There were two rooms coming off the waiting room and no one was really sure which room the doctor was in, or if there was one in each until someone explained one was for results. No signs to help though.

After about a 20 minute wait I saw the doctor. I sat on the chair a long time before he even said anything. I just handed him my ID card for want of something to do! He eventually asked why I was there.

He took all my blood pressure and heart rate etc and wrote on a piece of paper then told me to go to casualty. I had to make my own way there- with chest pains and difficulty breathing i had to wander through Sliema looking for a taxi (as I had no mobile credit). Luckily I have free texts to my boyfriend and he jumped in a cab and came to get me.

Got to casualty at Mater Dei and its large and clean so this was a good first impression. You go to reception and hand them the doctors notes and wait in a large waiting room. You'll be called to Room 1 for an initial check up. I was prioritised due to chest pains so was only waiting about 10 minutes before being called through, they did some tests and I was taken straight through to area 2.

Here it was hectic. Massive queue, stressed out staff, patients in beds lined up against the wall. A nurse came and told me they'd ruled out heart problems so just to sit and wait til I was called, I must have waited almost 3 hours.

A doctor then called me in, did some prodding and poking, asked a LOT of questions and put a needle tube thing in my hand so she could pump fluid in (I dont know what it's called!). I was then sent for a chest xray and the wait, xray and then wait for the doctor to call again to discuss took another 2 hours.

So although it was a looooong 5 hour day, I found them quite efficient really considering it was so busy, place was clean, everyone was friendly and helpful and the doctors seemed to know what they were doing.

All in all made me feel more confident in case anything serious was to happen!