Screens

Within less than twelve hours of landing, I was back at the hospital with mum. It’s nothing major this time, an x-ray of the chest, to ensure that the cancer has not spread to the lungs, and three blood samples for analysis. She cringed as the blood was drawn. Because mum has had blood drawn so often, the vessels have faded, the nurse had to draw blood from the right arm instead of the usual left. I softly patted her shoulder as if to tell her “It’s ok… I’m here…” Even though I will only be with mum for a little while this time around, I was there that day, at that moment…

It’s a routine check, to see how the cancer has progressed (or not… hopefully not). We’ll be back in a few days for mum’s next chemo treatment… I did notice one thing that has changed. On the wall of the lobby were two big rectangular flat-screens. On them, the names of the doctors, the consultation room, and the call number of the patient now being seeing are displayed.

”Is this…?” I asked.

Yes, mum confirmed what I thought it was. A couple of months ago, when I accompanied mum to the hospital one day, I noticed there were a lot of patients, and their relatives or friends and care-takers, all of them crowded outdoor the various physicians’ offices. The scene resembled that of a market… crowded, noisy, stuffy, and it was uncomfortable being there for a long time.

But sometimes you have to wait an hour or two or more, just to be seen, because though there is an appointment, it works by a call number system, and depending on the physician, some of whom work slower than others, it may take a while till it’s your number. Some physicians see five patients an hour, while others rush through them and can see dozens of people within one morning.

Though I had been to the hospital many times with mum (and before, with dad), the particular scenery and the experience made me write to the hospital. So I picked up a form and wrote a “suggestion”, and deposited it in a designated box the next time I visited the hospital.

My suggestion was that instead of having people all wait outside the physicians’ offices and crowding up the narrow corridors, perhaps there could be some kind of display system placed somewhere. Patients and their family and friends can wait elsewhere, the best place would be outside, where there would be fresh open air and a lot more space. Not only would that create a better environment for patients and visitors, it would make it a much better environment for the hospital staff too.

Mum said one day the hospital called asking to speak to me, but I had already left the country. They said they registered the suggestion, and were going to do something about it. And there, on the walls, were what they did and the result of my suggestion (or perhaps some other people had suggested it too… I’m not sure!)

I looked at the big flat-screens with a little pride and smiled. It helps to “suggest”, and any little idea to make the world a better place is good for anyone, and for everyone.