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Saturday, February 2, 2013

Master of the Keys

The hospital does have a generator, but they only use it for the OR on tue, thur, and sat...and mon/wed for a 2 hours to autoclave.  it's pretty sad they don't have electricity when they actually need it for inpatients like for the oxygen machine.  and make patients pay for petrol to run the generator.  the whole idea of health care is so weird.  the other day, a guy came in from a motorcycle accident and he was bleeding a lot from his face, and the nurse said we cant start treatment bc his family isn't here yet and hasn't paid his admission fee, and his type of ppl might just run away from the hospital befoe paying for it like the other girl the other day!  And this is a Methodist hospital!

It's pretty crazy how controlling everyone is of everything. Ok, fine, it makes a little sense b/c there is a lack off resources, so it can't be like the states where med students can go into the supply closet to just take as much as they want to practice or 6 ppl going into a room and putting on contact precaution gowns that cost $5/person everyday, or the copious yet much needed glove usage...I can go on forever.  Anyhow, there is a key for everything, and it seems like I can't get anything done w/o finding the right person with the right key.  

For example, today, there was a baby seizing, and all I wanted was diazepam to stop his seizure, but the pharmacy was closed, so we had to use the emergency stock, but the emergency cupboard was locked, and the nurse in charge who has the key was at home! Really? If you're on service, why are you at home?  But then I found out the men's ward nurse was there, and he fortunately also had a key, but when he went through the cupboard, he couldn't find diazepam.  Really? I had just told the nurse who was in charge of it to restock it EVERY DAY! Oh man, the organization, and everything is so crazy.  Then, another nurse came in, apparently, nobody was around (Saturday), so she came in, but she happened to have wandered off to the under-5 clinic, or maybe she came from there, I'm not sure.  Anyhow, this whole process was NOT helpful for the kid.  At least we finally got his seizure to stop after giving some glucose (also in emergency cupboard) because he mom was giving him water when young babies should only get breast milk.  

The other day when a guy came in with crushed fingers, it took forever to open the OR doors, and get all the supplies we needed to look at his finger, etc.  The main door was locked, and then every door within it was locked too.  Really? Is that really necessary?  And apparently there are just a whole bunch of rolly beds and other equipment sitting in the OR not being used, but just locked up for safe keeping.  Later, after telling me there are no bag mask ventilators, someone found one in the pharmacy/dispensary.  It seems like they're so keen on rationing material that they just don't want to use it during anything.  

OMG, using the ultrasound is such a pain too.  I wanted to scan some ladies with big pelvic masses, and then the doctor says do it when there's electricity - which is every other night.  And so I wait to next night, then he tells me at night the OR (where they keep the ultrasound) doors are locked, and so I can't scan, and I needed to get the key from them during the day.  And because the OR ppl only come every other day, it's another 2 day delay.  Of course, when I want to scan during the day when the OR electricity is available b/c they have a case, the doctor says he's busy with this or that.  Finally, when he sees me doing an ultrasound and I ask if he wants to see it, he says, "I don't know what's normal, what's not" and continues to walk away.  I could do these basic ultrasounds, but I'm not gonna be here forever!  I think he's not comfortable with new equipment/tools, and just avoids them.  

This incessant need for power and control is just ridiculous.  When I asked to use an oxygen machine from the OR over night when they don't have cases, they say no, but then when I say the hospital needs to work together, the guy kind of budged, so maybe people just need to be reminded they are working in a hospital, and not the government?  Well, at least there are some changes - small small.  

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