I wonder does anyone know the situation with medical staff now in Huercal Overa? Especially regarding urology. Following surgery last May I have been waiting for an appointment since July and eventually got one for last Tuesday when I was given another for April. I have now seen numerous different urologists and the last one had obviously not read my notes. Last July I was told that I would have a much needed further operation within three months. I am considering whether to go privately but have no idea how to go about it. Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Alan
As I understand the staffing situation at HO hospital they are only offered one month contracts so are leaving in droves. Lots of referrals are being redirected to other hospitals perhaps your doctor can find out if that's possible for you. It would mean travelling but you may be seen earlier. For a private referral perhaps Cats can help with info. Good luck.
This situation is becoming extremely concerning. Surprising the spanish are not up in arms about the extreme cut backs. This was a highly rated hospital some years ago and money is being spent in the wrong places. Not all spanish or english have the facility of being able to travel elsewhere. The whole situation needs addressing and promptly :73:
I was referred to the private hospital down the road from Lldls in H.O yesterday for a scan. It is on the left hand side of the road about half way down. Park in a side street.
Half way through my wifes eye treatment the eye clinic closed.
After a long delay we were offered appointments at the hospital in BAZA.
By then we had gone private and received incredible treatment at VISSUM in Almeria.
The initial scans cost 50 euros.
But the laser treatment cost 500 euros.
However we were then recommended a further injection (my wife had lost the sight in one eye due to a thrombosis in the retina vein, which apparently is quite common when you get older).
This is a new injection from the US, but costs 1000 euros.
Phew, but it worked!!
As for urology, we have had a lot of appointments, all of them very efficient.
Surgery may be a different issue.
The hospital often uses the private radiology facility near Lidl for scans when they are under pressure, but is covered by the SS.
As for a private surgery, the best thing is to go to Hospital Virgin del Mar in Almeria.
They have translation service and no problem getting an appointment.
A lot of Spanish use this option, either paying for private insurance to back up their SS, or paying with credit card.
You will see a lot of ordinary working class Spanish using the private hospital because the Spanish seem to value health higher than the UK, where people expect everything to be free.
Please may I correct you on a part of your contribution. We British do not expect everything to be free. We pay for our healthcare throughout our working lives via our NI contributions. We do, however, expect to receive the care that we have paid for.....
Then you have deal with the healthcare that is here and the waits and care that are not the same as they were 10 years ago due to drastic cutbacks and lack of funding.
Roger is quite correct, the Spanish will take private health if the SS takes too long and I sometimes feel the hospitals know this and try to drag out certain treatments.
People don't expect everything for free in the U.K. Roger, but having paid NI contributions all their lives they expect to get the treatment they have paid for. I believe if you can afford it you should pay, but I don't have a problem with people expecting to get NHS treatment.
britters191
Well said.
My husband and I have paid a total of 75 years of NIC between us, like millions of other Brits.
And my husband pays taxes on his pensions.
How can Roger say ..."....in the UK where people expect everything to be free " . A small minority do, but to imply that we all do is totally incorrect. A fair number of Brits use private healthcare , so tell us Roger,how does this differ from Spain ?
It now seems that the Public Health Service in Spain is struggling. It would struggle even more it it had to service 20 million extra people like the UK NHS has to. 65 mill UK to 45 mill Spain.
Poor Roger is being slammed because everybody has paid their National Insurance all their life and therefore is entitled to unlimited healthcare, pensions and welfare benefits. Unfortunately the data suggests that if it was down to National Insurance contributins you wouldn`t get half of what is currently provided. UK central government spending on health, pensions and welfare in 2017 was just over £250bn (health was £140bn alone), National Insurance receipts were £125bn (of that about £70bn was employers contributions). At the end of the day NI, these days, is just another tax that goes into the pot.
To put some facts to some other comments UK healthcare spending is about £2,777 per person where as the Andalucian health service gets just €1,080 per person. Not surprisingly, the health service here has some issues but I still think it does remarkably well on the very limited funding.
Of course the Spanish also pay through their SS
But many still are prepared to top it up when needed by going private,
Much more so than in the UK.
It is a different attitude because the Spanish do not expect the state to provide everything, hence they expect to care for their elderly relatives themselves.
At a private hospital it is common to see a working couple bring their elderly parents for private treatment, obviously paid for by their children.
As has been clearly stated, the NI contributions in the UK do not provide enough for the NHS and Social Care.
This has to be added to a lot from general taxes, but the Government makes a big thing about keeping taxes low to win votes.
Hogs
The figure given is the average per person in Spain. Yes the UK pays Spain a lot more than that to cover UK pensioners, who cost more than the average for health treatment, hence the difference in the figures which was decided through negotiation.
I fail to see how some of us are "slamming Roger" because we disagree with part of his post. Disagreement is part of any debate.
We know that NICs are not sufficient to cover everything,but what politician would be brave enough to say that both NICs and PAYE need to be significantly increased. Does'nt gain you votes !
Until the UK system is changed, it is reasonable for those who have paid NICs to expect healthcare and pensions.
Not many weeks ago H/Overa hospital was the place to be when ill, it now appears to be a bit different, if and when we have to use the hospital/health service here and it comes down to paying Privately we would not be able to afford it !! Maybe by stopping the holiday pay for Spanish pensioners here would help the health service .
It would be better to pay the British pensioners a proper pension like the Spanish get. Our Spanish neighbours were appalled at our pittance when they enquired!
How strange...you lucky enough to have a big enough pension that you have to pay tax on but begrudge others that dont get enough pension to pay tax at all...case of im all right Jack...and all because you dont think it right for Spain to get the said tax..O well must go to bakery see if they have any dried bread left to dip in my water.. :03:
On your way to the bakery Trucker,can you pop into Oxfam and get me a warm winter coat?? :16:
Not sure what your point is Trucker. Where did I say that I "begrudge others that don't get enough pension to pay tax
at all ".
" And all because you don't think it right for Spain to get the said tax' . Can you explain what you mean ?
Confused.com
I think Trucker was referring to Rtis comments,which he/she has now removed! Just as well as they were awful!!😁
Thanks Jimel, I did'nt see that post, so apologies to Trucker for my last post.
Apparently now a friend has been told via a phone call from the hospital that because of the lack of personnel at Huercal Overa she can have her cataract operation done at a private hospital at the Spanish system's expense. Obviously for most this would involve more travelling, probably to Almeria, but at least it gets the job done.
I had a new hip done at the end of November and no problems with staff etc.
Jimel, I think that you will find that working life NI contributions in Spain are a lot higher than the UK and continue at a higher rate after retirement, my partner has about €150 per month deducted from her reduced pension, due to not having a full record, but still receives more than I do.
Well my husband had a heart attack on wed, Dr Ernesto came with the ambulance, he was taken to HO hospital intensive care then to Almeria for an angiogram, back to HO where because it was very busy he had to wait in intensive care until a ward bed was available. Not being able to speak or understand much Spanish wasn't helpful but I can't fault the staff. He is stuck in now until he sees a consultant tomorrow and the food is grim but hopefully he's home then.
The worst thing is the other patient's family in the two person ward who stay most of the night with the TV on loud and all the lights on!
Plus kids riding bikes in the corridor from the children's wards. No privacy curtains right round the bed and no consideration for the other patient's comfort. They helped save his life but he'll be very glad to be back home.
So sorry to hear about your husband, glad to hear he is on the mend
tandas,
I wish your husband a speedy recovery.
Your comments interested me. I spent two weeks in a hospital in Granada, after serious injuries suffered in a road traffic accident near Mojacar. Like you, I could not fault the medical staff, who undoubtly saved my life. But the aftercare was not as good. I totally agree with you about Spanish families crowding the two bedroom wards. They stay at all hours,chatting and laughing without any consideration for the patient in the other bed. The nursing staff accept it as normal.
On the plus side, the food was reasonable and whenI told a really nice male nurse that I liked salads and cheese, he ordered a big bowl for my lunch when he was on duty.
The NHS is far from perfect but visitors to general wards have to leave by 9pm to allow all patients to get some rest.
Tandas, I wish your husband a speedy recovery! The hospital doesn't sound like it's the best place to be recovering from a heart attack....sounds so stressful! What a nightmare.
As well as the noise, the lack of dignity because of lack of any privacy, is something we must all dread. :03:
I too wish your husband a speedy recovery Tandas,it's hardly conditions reccommended for a heart attack patient,but hopefully he will be home soon with peace a quiet prevailing. Good luck to you both.
Quote from: tandas on February 18, 2018, 17:27:49 PM
The worst thing is the other patient's family in the two person ward who stay most of the night with the TV on loud and all the lights on!
Plus kids riding bikes in the corridor from the children's wards. No privacy curtains right round the bed and no consideration for the other patient's comfort. They helped save his life but he'll be very glad to be back home.
I've kept quiet about my dreadful stay in HO hospital nearly 2 years ago because it was too painful to recall. I just hope that I never have to stay there again. I had 9 days of hell - it would have been 5 days but my hip dislocated and I had to be tied to my bed for another 2 days and then 2 days to get mobile again. I was unfortunate to be given the bed by the 'window' in the small 2-bed room, and as I spent most of my time lying down I could just about see the roof of the hospital. The adjoining bed was occupied by two Spanish women during my stay and both had non-stop visitors day and night, some arriving at 2am and staying until 8am before the next lot arrived, and we all know how loud the Spanish are, talking over each other. They kept the light on all night even though I did ask nicely if they could turn it off during the night, which they did once. The first room mate liked the tv on loud but during the night only to occupy her night visitors but wouldn't have it on during the day which would have given me something to watch. The second occupant wouldn't have the tv on at any time, which was a shame because the curtain between us was always pulled around the bed even though we attempted numerous times to pull it back so that at least I could see the door and people passing by. This meant that for 9 days I could see the roof and sky outside and very little else.
As for the food, my neighbours had reasonable looking food but I was given a packet of dry Marie Rose biscuits for breakfast and chicken noodle soup for lunch every single day. Dinner consisted of very little - just a small portion of what my neighbour received, but without any potato, and another packet of dry biscuits. OK, I wasn't that hungry but I could have been given a choice. My neighbours were given a menu card each day - I got what I was given. My husband was with me all day to make sure I was looked after, but one lunchtime he got talking to somebody outside and wasn't there to give me my lunch. There it stayed for an hour until somebody came to take it away - I would have liked to have eaten something but I couldn't reach it because my leg was tied to the end of the bed so that I wouldn't move it.
The last thing I'll mention is that just before I had my operation, I was told by the hospital doctor that all my medications had been approved and I should bring them with me. WRONG. When I arrived in my room they were immediately taken away from me by Nurse Hitler, with the long blonde curly hair, and I was left without some important medication for 9 days, which included tablets for previous DVTs. They wouldn't allow me to have my Metformina (diabetic tablets), instead they injected me with Insulin each day, which I have now become reliant on even though I was fine with Metformina for the previous 11 years. They said it was because I was stressed due to my 2 operations! I shall forgo making any further comment on that.
The experience left me so traumatised that I've hardly talked about it since and have no wish to ever end up staying in that place again.
Lynne,
I sympathise. Seems like the advantage I had at Granada was better food ! I had a lovely male nurse who was taking English lessons so took plenty of opportunities to talk with me. His ambition was to go to California to work because he has family there. And he had a more caring attitude than some of the female nurses, Quite frankly, without him, my stay would have been far less pleasant.
I have said many times that neither the NHS or the Spanish health service are perfect,but most expats won't have any criticism about Spain.
We have nothing but praise generally for the hospital. Obviously things are changing which is very sad. My husband has been admitted four times over twenty years and the care all round was excellent. If you are not given a menu sheet it is because they are only allowing you certain foods etc for medical reasons. It is more often than not a problem with the spanish families day and night but this is their country and we have no right to make comments. One can always make a polite suggestion in writing and maybe if enough comments were made things may change re the quietness at night. The hospital is kept spotless and we have not heard of one case of MRSA!!! Fifteen years ago this was the third best hospital in Europe just terribly sad that medical staff have had to suffer so badly.
I have positive memories of the hospital,
Lynne you may have been on a strict low calorie diet which is why it was very low calorie. I had low salt when I was in with Chloe
When our youngest was born she was in neonatal and very poorly I was allowed to stay in the hospital to be with her, I was fed and I had no problems apart from they were loath to give me details on what was going so I did what the Spanish do I kicked up a fuss!! We were in for 10 days till she was allowed home. I believe because I speak the language and wouldn't take no for answer. Whether it was informing I was going to feed not bottles and then she was allowed out of the incubator we had our own room so she could bond and then go home once she was well enough
When Lauren went in for her 2 ops, I knew the system Mums are there to look after the child but I still got fed so I wouldn't have to leave her at either time. Both times she had reacted the anaesthetic so I got the nurse and we changed her pyjamas together and I cant fault the system then but it is going down the pan and its not the same as it was.
I was tested for Sleep Apnea and was told its 7 months before I get the results.
What to do, dont take it lying down, The Spanish are quick enough to grumble so you do the same. Same with the nurses, they encourage you to use the button so use it!!
Phrases
Perdona Quiero dormir Excuse me I want to sleep
Por favor pueden aflojar el volume en la tele. Please can you turn the tv down.
Es posible hablar mas flojo. Can you speak quieter please?
Quiero ver la tele te importa? I want to watch the tv do you mind?
These are written informally so when translated they may sound funny
We tend not to grumble because thats how we are, but I say tell them make sush noises, call the nurses tell them. Only one family is permitted and visitors hours stop at 11pm when the doors are locked so you can complain, they may be lax but if it is interuppting your comfort let them know,
Well said lorry driver. I agree with everything you have written. I have nothing but praise for them. They were all wonderful to me last year when l had to spend some time in the hospital last year when l contacted pneumonia. Even the cleaning staff were pleasant. Plus l had a menu for every meal.
Will also add that if one fits all the criteria and is unfortunate enough to have to go into permanent care the state do not take your house!!!!! - ninety percent of your pension.
You will not be abused etc but be treated with kindness and compassion.
Quote from: lorrydriver on February 20, 2018, 09:41:22 AM
...It is more often than not a problem with the spanish families day and night but this is their country and we have no right to make comments...
I have to disagree with you there, I feel I have every right to make comments about the treatment I received.
Quote from: Queen Clare Shirley on February 20, 2018, 09:46:44 AM
What to do, dont take it lying down, The Spanish are quick enough to grumble so you do the same. Same with the nurses, they encourage you to use the button so use it!!
We tend not to grumble because thats how we are, but I say tell them make sush noises, call the nurses tell them. Only one family is permitted and visitors hours stop at 11pm when the doors are locked so you can complain, they may be lax but if it is interuppting your comfort let them know,
Tried all that, nothing much seemed to work. I didn't like to complain too much as I felt vulnerable, I asked about the tv, curtain, light during the night and the noise etc, but really didn't get much response. Pressing the button only worked 50% of the time, other times my husband had to go to the desk to speak to a nurse/doctor after waiting over 15 minutes. I don't think there was one night when new visitors didn't appear after midnight, so goodness only knows how they got in. The nicest and most sympathetic people I met was one of the doctors, one of the younger nurses and the cleaners - apart from that the rest should be sent on a course on how to treat sick people.
Went in today expecting to go to Almeria again only to find that he had to stay put for yet another day and tomorrow more tests and then maybe home maybe Almeria! Food still dier. Carrot soup with no taste dried chicken with a cold tomato manky pear and dry bread. Last night he refused it and the nurse shouted at him of course he didn't understand her nor she him! Today again I took him a healthy sandwich to make sure he has ate something. He's had a pain in his shoulder which today they finally gave him something to help. The patient next bed still has the remote to the TV and yet again they were there until am chatting away. Shame that they don't have somewhere comfortable that you can go and sit together. I don't stay the night because he doesn't need me there so at least I get some sleep. What I find strange is you can wander off and they don't know where you are. If hubby had his wày he'd just come home and see if they miss him!!!
Hope he'll be home now on Thursday.
Patients need peace and quiet in a calm environment in order to regain their health. That is why visiting hours are normally restricted. I wonder why the Spanish health service does'nt implement this important part of health care ?
I was very impressed with the cleaning service during my stay at Granada. The first members of staff I saw early every morning, were the cleaning ladies and they did a thorough job, better than in some NHS hospitals.
Tandas - I do hope your husband will be home soon and feeling much better. I just wish I could have had a good hospital experience that others have had but it obviously wasn't meant to be.
Would these problems be because of us pulling out of the eu, maybe the "learned" hospital people think we are already out and can just treat us anyhow !
always the option of returning to the old country
Ive visited friends there a few times and was really impressed by the medical side of things , the way patients are looked after.
After that. This is spain not the UK so for me as long as they deal with the medical problems efficiently then thats great.
No waiting on trollies etc as can happen in the uk.
The food is spanish style and the spanish seem happy enough with it. For me , great hospital although i havent been a patient. TG.
As lorrydriver says !!!!!!
Quote from: raysun on February 20, 2018, 18:35:10 PM
For me , great hospital although i havent been a patient. TG.
As lorrydriver says !!!!!!
I thought the same - until I was a patient.
Not all of us can afford to just pop back to the UK to live!
Rtis,
My experience of a not so perfect Spanish health service happened in 2012, long before the referendum.
Huercal Overa could not cope with my life threatening injuries : three cracked ribs pierced my right lung. HO could not stop the internal bleeding and so I was airlifted to Granada at 10 pm for emergency surgery. I have nothing but praise for the doctors and theatre staff who saved my life . The surgeon who performed the thoracotomy told me the next day that another hour and I would have probably died. Thank goodness for helicopters !
But I find it worrying that HO could not cope with my injuries. I asked the surgeon at Granada why and his answer was a shrug of the shoulders.
raysun
Myself, Lynn and Tandas are speaking from personal experience. If you have to spend some time as an in-patient in a local hospital, , I hope all goes well for you. You need to bear in mind that things are not perfect, anymore than the NHS.
I haven't read this entire thread and haven't posted on the forum for around 15 months. During this time I have been receiving (and continue to receive) treatment for cancer. I receive my treatment in Baza and Granada and it has been superb. I continue to receive 3 weekly injections until the end of June. I have had a lot of complications needing not just oncology, but gynaecology, cardiology, physiotherapist and a few surgeries. The kindness shown to me and the availability of advanced drugs has been mindblowing. As I'm only in my 40s and have continued to work as I'm self employed the hospitals have even tried to schedule appointments to help. However, I was sent to Almeria for 33 radiotherapy sessions and without doubt the people I met there who had received oncology care in Huercal Overa had a different take but I hasten to add it was Spanish and English alike. Mainly it seemed to be about poor communication and I was shocked about how little time patients seemed to spend with their oncologist. However, using the ambulance service daily to Almeria every driver told me a horror story involving Brits and without a doubt there was some resentment about the drain placed on medical services in HO. The biggest complaint was the inability to communicate, 4 drivers told me about patients dying in ambulances because they couldn't understand questions about pace makers or blood groups, or even describe what illness they had or what medications they took. Every driver told of their frustration about Brits living remotely who cannot even give directions to their houses, or say their mobile number or NIE in Spanish. More damning were the number who say they take patients home but it becomes clear the person lives alone and cannot look after themselves, or is living in squalor, or cannot direct a driver to their house. In these instances the person must be readmitted to hospital, taking up a bed. In my 33 trips this happened 3 times so it is clearly a widespread problem. The cost to the ambulance service and administration is huge, not to mention that a delayed ambulance puts other lives at risk.
Obviously this does not excuse poor clinical decisions or perceived lack of care but I was really shocked at what I heard and we do all have a part to play in saving money for a service which is under as much pressure as the NHS.
I also think some issues are just cultural and without the ability to communicate they can be perceived as rude when that is not the intention. Just as I have witnessed many Brits getting irritable and stressed due to their lack of Spanish, many medical staff have the same reaction trying to explain something to the British.
HO is a district hospital like Baza, not a trauma hospital and just like the UK Spain has developed regional centres for some treatments and centres of excellence for others so Granada will sometimes be the result.
Im bloody grateful for my treatment, the drug which has probably saved my life during the last 15 months was only made available in the U.K. 2 weeks ago. On this basis, the food choices or visiting hours don't seem so important and that is exactly how the Spanish see things.
Fantastic post Claire
The feedback I tend to get is very similar and I think that's why the Health centre in Albox now has signs asking for Brits to bring a translator and I'm sure I will be hated for this post but......
There are no translators on the SS, doctors don´t have to speak English if they do, and some do, that's great, but just as you make mistakes while talking in a foreign language so may they and that mistake could cost you. Why take that risk for the sake of a few euros?
The amount of times I have been in the medical centre while some Brit has been shouting or complaining at the receptionists who don't speak English causing enormous queues because they cant speak Spanish and haven't brought a translator, on occasion I have helped out (bearing in mind I'm doing it for the receptionist and the queue) Not a word of thanks or gratitude.
The Spanish health service like the country is suffering severely with cutbacks, high debt and lack of funding. More and More medicines are not available now on prescription and its showing.
I have nothing but admiration for the nurses and doctors and the care we have received here for my whole family, The father in law was saved last September by the quick thinking of the ER doctor who attended otherwise he wouldn't be here today.
So yes I agree with Claire post, food and the view is not important when you take a look at the bigger picture. Be grateful what we have here, there are worse health services out there IE the USA and we are very lucky with the services we have here.
I have been a patient, Mother, wife, daughter and daughter in law of a patient and the service and care has been incredible and the nurses who put up with my father in law deserve a medal , Nahh Im just joking.
Funny how the UK have on tap (and totally free) translators for non English speakers, whether it's in the NHS or at the benefits office.
I'm not saying that's right, but it's odd that the British seem to get the Sh*t end of the lollipop, whether at home or abroad
Many doctors and nurses and care workers in the UK now barely speak even B1 English, which is a huge worry
Things might of changed since I retired from the NHS 7 years ago. But, translators are not 'on tap'. Do you imagine that translators are waiting in A & E in case a foreigners comes in? We had a list of volunteers mostly made up of hospital staff.
Well, interpreters wouldn't be without them they take all the stress out of going to the hospital the Doctors the nurses and anyone working for the hospital really do appreciate you have taken time and effort to get someone to help with your conversation in Spanish with the doctor or reception.
It is stressful enough going so why increase that knowing you may not get an English speaking Doctor or nurse.
Wouldn't be without one in any hospital
We have found on many occasions that the Doctor actually relaxes and does try to practice his or hers English to us knowing full well we have an interpreter to cover his pronunciation as and when they try to speak in English and sometimes we can all have a laugh. :clap:
Queen Clare,
You are right. :clap:
The same week that we decided to relocate to Spain, I bought myself a " Learn Basic Spanish in 15 minutes a Day" .
On arriving in this area six months later, I could manage to communicate reasonably well . I then took classes for a year in Albox. During my stay at Granada hospital, most of the nurses and doctors commented on my Spanish skills and the most common comment I got was " Tell your English friends to learnSpanish if they live here. ". The lady doctor in Partalia used to say the same. I totally agree.
If the Brits can't make the effort to learn some of the basics, they must pay for a interpreter. If you manage a sentence or two, you get more respect from the natives. Your health is precious . Unfortunately, there is a small minority of Brits living in the area who make me ashamed to be British.
Zillnor, last time i mentioned that people living here should at least have the basics in spanish i faced a few very angry people who seem to think the spanish should speak english rather than the other way round.
raysun,
I also remember !
Claire1
I hope that you are continuing to recover. What a difficult and distressing time you have had.
I get your point about HO being a district hospital, and Granada being a trauma centre. Explains why I was taken to Granada.
On the 29th.November 2017 I had a new hip operation. I was called in a day early which I could hardly believe. I had nothing but first class service from the nurses and doctors. I speak a little Spanish and my wife has very good Spanish so this helped. However the Doctors and anaesthetist spoke English to me just before the operation and on subsequent visits to the ward.
I had a menu every day with 3 choices and the food was quite adequate. They even arranged for me to share the 2 bed ward with an English guy who actually came from my UK home town ( tongue in cheek but it was an amazing coincidence ). When he left another UK guy took his bed on the day I left.
I have nothing but praise for the treatment I received in HO hospital and have previously had 4 more 1 day procedures in there when it was very good.
Well said rod. Lovely you got sorted at this great hospital.
Who really cares about the food if you get the best medical treatment.
I have friends who have nothing but praise for HO.
The spanish are a bit noisy but this is spain.
Would rod have got better treatment in the UK????
My wife has had many visits to HO hospital, including a 10 day stay due to a blood infection.
At Urgencias we have never waited for more than one hour to see a doctor, usually within 30 minutes.
Plus blood tests, X ray and almost always a CAT scan, instantly.
I have never seen anyone waiting on a trolley or in an ambulance.
Out patients seem to insist on regular repeat check ups when they get you in the system, and normally you only wait for not more than 6 weeks for an appointment with a specialist.
As for the language, I speak reasonable Spanish
But we usually pay for a good translator because it is clear that the doctors and nurses appreciate this, and if you have a good translator, such as Sharon and Carlos, they know the nurses and can cut corners.
Thanks for your comments. The food, noise, visitors etc are, I would say, a matter of cultural differences. I am anxious about the excessive delays and consequent damage to health. I am surprised that the situation over staffing has not been dealt with as it has been going on for almost two years now. I have waited months for scans and have seen so many different urologists that there has been no continuity in treatment. Maybe I have been unlucky.
Then you need to write in their complaints book, and continue to do so every time you go until they do their job.
Here at Albox Medical Centre when its emergencies in the evening after 9pm they only have 1 medical team, when my youngest was coming up two she was very poorly with diarrhoea and a burning fever we arrived at 9pm, there were people before us so we patiently waited, the doctors left on a medical emergency, we were assured that they wouldn't be long so we continued to wait. In those days we couldn't drive so we were dependent on the care given by the 24 medical centre (nowadays I would just drive to Huercal).
More people came and went, the lovely receptionist chatted to everyone, it dragged to 11pm no doctors. I was informed that they had gone to Huercal Overa, so we waited, 12am came , Daughters fever was now getting serious she was burning up, and couldn't keep water down. Luckily the receptionist went and got us some dalsy to help bring her temp down. (She was poorly for 2 weeks with a serious stomach virus after)
I kept complaining and she said that on the way back they had been called to another emergency so they were going to be late. Now we had no option to wait as she was so poorly and walking home and coming back was going to be too much for our other daughter who was 4 so we stayed.
She said to me and the others in the room, you need to make a complaint because if you don't this will continue so I stepped and made a complaint and a few others, now this was 10 years ago and we still don't have a second medical team so now every time I go to emergencies and they arent in due to a medical emergency I put a complaint in and so should others to show that a second team is required.
Make your voice heard, Complaints are there to show the deficiency in the service
I just felt I needed to respond to this, I have just been to HO hospital for Cancer treatment , I agree with Roger, the hospital, the Surgeons, Doctors, Nurses and staff are all excellent, I do not speak much Spanish so took my Translator (which is excellent). The food was fantastic, the two bed ward was
just right. I only write this because if you are going into hospital for any operation if you read some of these comments it would be upsetting. I know
if I have to go in again I would have no problem. Kind regards Sue
Quote from: zilnor on February 21, 2018, 10:55:41 AM
Queen Clare,
You are right. :clap:
The same week that we decided to relocate to Spain, I bought myself a " Learn Basic Spanish in 15 minutes a Day" .
On arriving in this area six months later, I could manage to communicate reasonably well . I then took classes for a year in Albox. During my stay at Granada hospital, most of the nurses and doctors commented on my Spanish skills and the most common comment I got was " Tell your English friends to learnSpanish if they live here. ". The lady doctor in Partalia used to say the same. I totally agree.
If the Brits can't make the effort to learn some of the basics, they must pay for a interpreter. If you manage a sentence or two, you get more respect from the natives. Your health is precious . Unfortunately, there is a small minority of Brits living in the area who make me ashamed to be British.
I completely agree with this, Zilnor.
However I don't see why HO hospital isn't offering the same services as other state hospitals in Murcia/Granada/Malaga etc.
Especially as Brits are supposed to receive reciprocal treatment as we're in the EU
In the UK translators are provided free of charge - in just about any language
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/756977/NHS-spends-100-million-on-TRANSLATORS-in-128-languages
I've seen internal NHS docs - they are determined to continue to provide these services free of charge.
The fact that the NHS are pleading poverty and people are being denied life saving treatment, seems at odds with this policy.
Of course, this apparent poverty is not just due to the cost of paying for interpreters.
Procurement departments are also incredibly inept and wasteful:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nhs-forced-to-pay-1-500-for-2-pot-of-moisturiser-3d0ckn3gh
We've all read stories like this, with doctors being flown in from India for a weekend shift at a cost of 1000s and requests for something as simple as a window shade on a ward having to go through several depts before a ridiculous price is quoted - so a staff member simply goes out to Ikea and buys one out of their own pocket
Something that is a very real concern is that many of the NHS doctors/nurses from outside the eu don't speak English to a fluent standard - which is downright dangerous and leaves the way open to serious mistakes being made, sometimes with fatal consequences
I have personal experience of this and it's truly frightening to think that if I'd been elderly or someone that didn't dare to question an "expert", then I would have perhaps died as a result of a consultant's inability to understand English.
Sorry, I've strayed off topic(!)
I received emergency treatment over a decade ago at HO hospital.
Being admitted was a nightmare. Although I spoke Spanish to an intermediate level, I'd also brought a Spanish friend with me as back up
Receptionist didn't want to admit me - HO is a state hospital and despite my presenting my EHIC AND my Sanitas card, she clearly didn't know what to do - perhaps things are better nowadays, given the increase of Brits in the area
I then went through a barrage of tests despite the doctor telling us that I had appendicitis (which turned into peritonitis as my appendix burst during a very painful scan)
I wasn't operated on for over 10 hours, despite the staff knowing I had peritonitis
No complaints with the surgery itself. Surgeon was from Northern Spain and the majority of OR staff were Chinese. All very competent
Came round from op, felt fine. Surgeon visited and said I'd be discharged the next day if my temp remained normal
My problems really started when the (completely useless) registrar decided to take me off the antibiotics the next morning after the surgery. Hours later my temp soared and I developed a serious infection.
Surgeon visited me and then had a blazing argument with the registrar, calling her incompetent and telling her that I could die as a result of her stupidity - this was in front of me whilst I was lying in bed. Luckily I was too sick to feel scared, I felt that ill that I actually wanted to die.
Quality of nursing was variable, one of them was absolutely lovely, another was openly racist and resentful of any non-Spaniard patients. Many of the staff are unaware of the reciprocal arrangement and the fact that the UK pays for Brits. The fact I had private insurance and so wasn't "leeching off the system" mattered not to this nurse and she deliberately made changing drips as painful as possible.
If you don't have family/friends who can visit several times a day at this hospital, you're in trouble
Nurses in HO do not expect to wash or feed patients. They think administering meds is the extent of their responsibilities.
The hospital then had the cheek to try and charge my health insurance for the 2 week stay, despite the fact that the surgeon confirmed that if I had simply continued on the antibiotics then I would have been discharged the day after the surgery.
More recently I visited a friend at the same hospital - the same surgical ward in fact.
Standards of cleanliness had declined
I arrived one evening and saw some faeces on the floor in the corridor - either someone had had an accident or a nurse had dropped a sample
When I left 2 hours later, it still hadn't been cleared up, despite being highly visible and lots of nurses on duty, repeatedly walking straight past the mess.
The ward wasn't full or particularly busy, nurses standing around and chatting
Nurse rude and aggressive when I dared ask (politely) why my friend was 2 hours late with her meds - with 4 nurses laughing and chatting at the nurse's station
All in all, the standards seemed to have declined and the out patients system is also chaotic
Cielos,
You had a very unfortunate experience . You have my sympathies !
Too much money is wasted in the NHS because of inept administrators, managers etc and at senior level they earn more than nurses and some doctors. :41:
As I have often said, Spain is no more perfect than the UK, and people have different experiences with healthcare in both countries.
I remember overhearing a doctor telling a nurse ( whenI was in hospital in Granada) that the UK reimburses the Spanish system for Brit pensioners. Presumably,she was questioning who would cover my costs.
I will now relate a very positive example of good Spanish healthcare. Some years ago, I was with my 87 year old mother about to board a plane at Murcia airport ( back to Gatwick) having left the terminal and walking towards the plane, when she tripped, fell and cut her calf muscle very badly on a piece of metal. Blood was pouring down her trouser leg. A security man immediately called for the ambulance and within minutes we were on our way to hospital. On arrival she was seen by a doctor within fifteen minutes, and within forty minutes , her leg was stitched up, bandaged and ready to go. The doctor himself went for a wheelchair and pushed my mum to the entrance where we waited for my husband to collect us. She was advised not to fly for 14 days and I took her to Albox every other day for her dressing to be changed. My mum was treated with much kindness by all the staff at both hospital and Albox. . I got the impression that the elderly are definitely given priority.
I went with my Asperger's/autistic stepson to our local hospital in Burton onTrent last week to see an ENT consultant regarding a very sore throat and croaky voice he had had for over a month. His GP referred him for an immediate appointment. Consultant looked down his throat with camera, said his voice box was very red, made an appointment for a scan for next week.
Can't complain about that !
Good and bad in both countries.