It takes six days to get x-ray at GPHC, five minutes at private hospitals - Patient expresses frustration

It takes six days to get x-ray at GPHC, five minutes at private hospitals – Patient expresses frustration

Aug 24, 2018 News

A trip to the hospital in Guyana can offer a cure or be a disaster for someone, depending on which hospital that person decides to seek help from, public or private – that is if you can afford to seek the help of a private hospital.
The stark differences between public and private medical facilities and the services they offer became even more evident after a man who sought attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)’s Outpatient Department yesterday, learnt that he had to wait six days to get a much needed x-ray to diagnose why he was unable to put pressure on his left foot while trying to walk. The man said that he then went to Woodlands Hospital and the same x-ray was done in five minutes.
The man said his “tribulation” started on Wednesday night, when he realized he was unable to use his left foot, since every step meant excruciating pain. He decided yesterday morning to visit the Outpatient unit of the GPHC – this happened about 07:00 hrs – where he was told that the unit would be operable at 08:00 hrs, which was music to his ears, since all he thought of was the relief that he would receive.
When the unit started functioning at 08:00 hrs, the man said he was well received by staff and was able at around 09:15 hrs to see a Doctor (name provided), who suggested that the patient get an x-ray for a proper diagnosis
The patient said he was then directed to the Diagnostic X-Ray Department, to which he limped across.
“This was one corner away from the Outpatient Department. On arrival at the X-ray department, I was greeted by a young lady who took the reference document that was issued by the Doctor and told me that I would have to come back at a later date to have the X-ray done. That date so happened to be six days away, and was stated as 29th August, 2018.”
“I immediately questioned the logic in the process used by the GPHC and was told by the young lady, that it was a management decision. She then asked me if the Doctor had not told me what the procedure was. I told her that I was not informed of any such procedure, and the fact that I had to wait six days to get a diagnosis for a problem that has rendered me virtually immobile, made no sense.”
The man said he “immediately left and went to the Woodlands Hospital”, which is a private facility, where he was seen within an hour by an Orthopedic Surgeon, at a cost of three thousand dollars. “The doctor immediately recommended an X-ray, and this was done at a cost of two thousand dollars.”
“I had to wait fifteen minutes to have the X-ray done, and the process itself took a mere five minutes. I then waited for another half an hour to see the doctor again, after which the X-ray was examined and it was diagnosed that I have a stress fracture in the foot. A dose of medication was prescribed and rest of the foot was recommended. The medication prescribed cost me thirty-six hundred dollars.”
The man then reflected on his experience and asked two pertinent questions.
“From the comparison of the two services it can be suggested that one is free, hence the inefficiency, but the question has to be asked: what then do tax payers get for the billions of dollars pumped yearly into the Public Health System? How much does it cost GPHC to provide to the public the same service that costs eight thousand six hundred dollars at a private facility, and is done in a matter of hours, compared to the same service taking days at the GPHC?

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It takes six days to get x-ray at GPHC, five minutes at private hospitals – Patient expresses frustration

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It takes six days to get x-ray at GPHC, five minutes at private hospitals – Patient expresses frustration

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