I welcome you to my blog and another wonderful edition of the Hive Learner's featured post. I believe that we have all heard stories of patients who needed emergency attention, were rushed to the hospital, but were either ignored or had their treatment delayed due to a lack of funds for upfront payment or inability to cover their bills; these stories make us sad and lead us to question the doctors and the oath they took to save lives.
Experiencing this situation in person is even sadder because it leaves you unable to fully express your feelings about what is happening. Are you mad at the doctors for being so heartless, or do you feel pity for the victim or patient fighting for their life and lying on the ground most of the time because they won't even let you lie on the bed since you have not made any payment? The first time I experienced this, if not for self-control, I think I would have been arrested for beating up a doctor, and then the doctor that day was very rude and so full of himself; he was feeling the alpha at that moment and paid deaf ears to all the pleas of the people that rushed the victim in and that of other people in the hospital and responded to every question rudely.
The man was involved in an accident; those who rushed him in are complete strangers and don't even know him. Why not treat the man, and then when he regains consciousness, he can pay up or talk about payment, or even when he is better, they can find a way to reach his family? But the particular doctor on duty that day liked that everyone was begging him, and the patient or victim was just on the ground struggling and fighting for his life, in which if attention is given to him early, it will reduce his struggles and increase his chances of surviving. The doctor just said what he said about having to make a deposit before treatment starts, and that was final.
When they saw that everyone was getting agitated with what was said alongside the doctor's attitude, that is when a doctor calmer than the other started explaining why they have that rule in place: for any surgery or medication to be administered, they have to make certain purchases as well, and if there is no upfront payment, then they will not be able to buy or purchase those materials (gloves, syringes, needles) needed to carry out the operation, and since they are not running a charity organization, they cannot do it for the patient from their own purse.
He said a lot and caused everyone to kind of understand them a bit, as well as saw a little from their own point of view that it is not all about the money but their own hands are kind of tight and they are not going contrary to the oath they took; they want to save lives too but need the finances required to do so to actually deliver. There might be other ways to handle the situation, like treating the patient and getting the pay later, but he talked about past patients that after that getting the money or pay from them became a serious problem, which now makes the better way not to be an option they want to consider anymore.
From our point of view, it is all about the money, but from their own point of view, they want to do their jobs without drama or having to become debt collectors later.
Images Used are generated using chatgpt.
