Vietnam Hospital - What the Singaporean Patient Saw
The eyes of the Singaporean patient glistened -
with shock that the cupboard door had hit her right foot so so painfully;
with surprise at her virgin hospital treatment being bestowed to the one overseas;
with curiosity about the procedures of a hospital treatment, and of a foreign country one at that.
The Search for Treatment
She saw that her room-mates were helpless as there were no doctors available from the clinic opposite the hotel.
She saw one hospital refusing to treat foreigners.
She saw her friends heave a sigh of relief when the national hospital finally agreed to treat her.
At the Hospital
She saw the air-con (Brand: Reetech) displaying "17⁰C" but felt it was no cooler than 26⁰C.
She saw the ceilings filled with JVC speakers and wobbly ceiling fans (like those in secondary schools).
She saw that in the A&E area, the medicine cupboard was left wide ajar.
She saw 2 soiled towels on the floor just next to the bin and no one picked them up.
She saw the hospital staff using PC with huge monitors (those with huge butts which we used back in 2000).
She saw 2 people sleeping on straw mats at the cashier area.
She saw 2 hoards of people - 1 crowding around making a phone call; 1 walking hand-in-hand in sadness, holding a sobbing housewife.
She saw the patients in A&E trying to lift their heads on the bed, attempting to see what was going on.
She saw her Vietnamese friend's mouth repeatedly mouthing "No smiling inside the hospital!"
She saw that no one tried to stop her from eating the french loaf with fried egg on the patient bed (inside the Doctor's consultation room).
The Hospital Staff
She saw most of the hospital staff's mouths as they were not covered with masks.
She saw the doctors wearing tees and polo-tees under their coat.
She saw the doctors passing medical reports by propelling them through the air.
She saw the same 2 doctors using their mobile phones very frequently (possibly calling other staff in the same hospital).
The Doctor
She saw the doctor's eye lashes which were twice as long as her own.
She saw the doctor wearing a watch, which has the exact same design (Casio brand) as her own.
She saw the doctor wearing (Brand: ASIA) sandals.
She saw the doctor's stethoscope garnished with a layer of rust.
She saw the doctor taking oranges (offered by her friends) and inserting inside his coat to imitate women's breasts.
She saw her Vietnamese friend mouthing "The doctor is looking up the dictionary to translate your medical report into English."
She saw helplessness.
She saw that patients must be patient.
She saw that her hospital bill was ₫270,000 (S$20/=)
She saw that medicine costs ₫60,000. (S$4/=)
She saw that the crutch (1 only) costs ₫40,000 (S$3/=).
Now she sees her friends reading this, eyes glistening with surprise in front of their PC screen.
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What say you?