And we complain about our medical system?

Medical System

Last April one of the ladies from the community asked me if I would take her son to the doctor in Santa Cruz. He had been suffering from headaches for the past two years and he had a soft spot on his head. The first doctor wrote a note explaining that she felt the situation was urgent and that she thought Jhonny had a tumor in his head. After looking at the X-rays the doctor at the Children’s Hospital said that yes, there might be a tumor but the biggest problem was ‘bichos’ – the catch all phrase for all worms and insects. Erselia and Jhonny returned home and life went on as normal – or so I thought.

On Saturday the teachers asked what had we had found out about Jhonny – he hadn’t been back to school and his brother said that he was not walking or talking. I talked to an aunt but she knew nothing. However, early the next morning her husband biked over the Erselia’s and found Jhonny in bed. He could no longer walk without assistance and was barely talking. Erselia came to church to ask for prayers for Jhonny so after the church service all the members went to the house since Jhonny could not be moved easily. Jhonny was responsive but very tired. On his head there was a soft spot that felt mushy and his face appeared slightly larger than usual. He was running a low grade fever, had problems with vomiting and incontinence.

3:30 am on Monday Jhonny, his brother Samuel, his father Filipe and I headed to Santa Cruz with all the documentation of the previous visit. We arrived at Mision de Esperanza, a hospital operated by a group from USA. They were unable to help but contacted a neurologist who would meet us, even though it was not his clinic day. He, in turn, sent us off to another clinic where a tomography was taken. By this time, little Jhonny was tired and the only way he could move was if someone carried him. I never thought I would be able to carry a 10 year old boy. Since we would not see the neurologist until 6:30 p.m., the family rested in a little hotel for a few hours. The neurologist informed us that there was a large tumor in Jhonny’s head but we needed to come to the Children’s Hospital the next morning to determine a course of action.

Tuesday morning Jhonny was admitted to the hospital for an assessment. This was 8:30. Finally at 3:30 he had a bed. We had an interesting day in the emergency part of the hospital and I learned a lot. If you need a splint, make one from cardboard. The lack of efficiency is directly related to the amount of paperwork. Nothing can be done until payment is made. The patient buys everything for the treatment – except the cardboard!

First you get a number, go to the cashier, and pay the amount needed for the initial consultation. Then you go back to see the doctor. If there is lab work needed, you go back to the cashier and pay another amount. This lab work is done. Then some more lab work needs to be done. Back to the cashier so that it can be done.

A list two pages long contains all the items needed for the surgery. Off to the pharmacies along the street to buy everything from the saline solutions to the thread for the stitches. Back to the hospital to find another list of items that need to be purchased – and then another list. Finally, we are done and Jhonny is given a room in the ward. Imagine the hospitals 40 or more years ago – an open room with 10 beds. The parent stays to help and only one visitor is allowed. No children are allowed to visit and the visiting hours are strictly enforced. Before we left for the night, I received another two pages list of items needed for the anesthesiologist.