One week ago an explosion tore through a hotel in Cancun Mexico and killed 2 Mexicans and 5 Canadians - including a nine year old and his dad and a new groom. Reports are now coming out that there were, and still are, problems with leaks of propane and toxic waste at the brand new deluxe hotel, and half the facility has now been shut down.
The part of the news story that I found interesting was the death of the 51 year old grandmother who, at the scene of the explosion, was going in and out of consciousness - but was responding to the gal who attended to her initially.
What happened after she was picked up by the ambulance is unheard of here in Canada.
Apparently, as the story goes, en route to the hospital, the ambulance ran out of gas and the family members were asked to pay for the fill up at the pumps before they would continue on.
So now, in my head, I am picturing a severely injured woman in an ambulance -stopped at a gas station....taking the precious minutes to fill up. According to the woman's brother, she was also taken to three different hospitals - and it was 3 hours before she was even attended to. Her daughter, an R.N., also noticed that the paramedics were using life-saving equipment incorrectly.
The care given may or may not have had an influence on her survival.
Now, I have spent many winter vacations in Mexico since the late 1970s and have never had the misfortune to require any sort of medical care while there. There is such a thing as the unexpected - such as what happened above - but - what if you chose to have surgery done elsewhere?
There is controversy about having procedures done in another country.
I have actually chosen to have surgery done in the USA (Radial keratotomy in 1984-when it was not offered in Canada) but I would say that the delivery of care in the USA is comparable to here. Safe enough. Doctors easily researched. In English.
With Medical Tourism in underdeveloped countries, how do you check out the credentials of a surgeon or the staff? How do you do research on a facility that you can only go to the website - and not see it in person prior to the procedure - and no reports you can rely on from reputable sources?
How dependable is the accreditation?? How do you assess the quality of care within a country that may not be forthcoming with accurate statistics or information? How do you differentiate the quality facilities from the opportunists? Can you believe the edited "testimonials" you read? How do you understand any reports if they aren't in English?
Would you choose to have surgery done in a third world country?
Now I get to tell you a sad but true story:
Linda was a fun gal...very pretty, and laughed all the time. As a co-worker she was dependable, efficient and an all-around great nurse. We spent many shifts exchanging stories and laughs... she was the perfect person to be working alongside - always smiling, always ready to help out or offer a friendly critique.
Her personal life was a tragic one, her husband had died several years ago from an MI - suddenly and shockingly - leaving her to raise her 17 year old daughter on her own. But - she would come to work and would always be the life of the unit. We both liked the same area to do our charting and it would be a constant challenge to see who would get to the space first.
Once Linda got her life together - bought a new condo and decorated it *just so*.... the next thing on her agenda was self-improvement.
She decided to secretly go for some cosmetic surgery. She never told anyone. Due to finances... she decided to have the procedure done in Mexico. Last minute arrangements were made and she flew down south ... the start of what she thought was the beginning of her new life that she had carefully planned out.
Once again - the care given may or may not have had an influence on her survival.
No one at work ever heard from her again.
The first news we heard of her passing was a phone call to work from her sister back east... to say she wouldn't be back - that she died in a Mexico Hospital after successful completion of her surgery.
No other news or explanation was ever given to us.
No news about what happened to the 17 year old, now not only fatherless but motherless too. No news of what the details were - or even funeral arrangements - if they were made. Only the last entry on her Facebook page to her daughter, "I love you sweetie...thanks for feeding kitty for me"....
Occasionally now, I will run across her signature in charts and her face will flash through my mind.... then a wave of sadness......
I miss her.
But then, I am only her co-worker.
What about her daughter....?
4 comments:
Sorry to hear about your friend.
With careful checking I would have medical procedures done in another country like India or some places in Asia. Being in the US we may have the top technology, but many can't afford it.
Medical tourism is big business and some of it is well regulated. Sometimes people do what they determine is best for them.
My mom had two friends drive down to North Dakota for hip and knee replacements because they did not want to wait in Wpg, but they could afford to do it. On the other side just because it is more expensive or cheaper does not mean it is better or worse.
The insurance industry here tells of horrible waiting times and other scare tactics in Canada, but living there in the past I know it is not true.
I guess what I'm saying is we can find the worst or best in everything if we try.
oh goodness, how terribly sad.
there are waiting lists for some things here, but my mother only had to wait a month for her hip surgery. That isn't bad at all- by the time you arrange the consult,xrays,labwork,EKG etc. It really depends on what you are going for. I only had to wait 2 wks for my gallbladder surgery and got to pick my date. I think the cardiac surgeries might have a wait longer,depending on what is being done. Definitely emergencies aren't delayed. I guess in this "instant gratification" world, one week is even too long to wait. The wait times are getting better, and at least our government is working to improve it. Successes aren't newsworthy, ambulance chases are...so you don't see the good stories, they only report the bad, and that gives a skewed view.
I am not sure about going to India. I would rather take my chances here, but then, that's me.
More than 90% of canadians will still choose the system we have over what is south of the border.
Are you familiar with Medibid? Check out their website. Essentially you can get bids from doctors to do your procedure and pick whichever you like. Now i know that isn't necessarily medical tourism but it gives an altenative to those who can afford it. And there are those who say we don't have a two-tier health care system in Canada. Several years ago i purchased critical illness insurance just for that reason. If I ever am diagnosed with whatever is a critical illness I receive $100K which I will use to get treatment elsewhere if possible.
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