Very bad service with no compassion

Very Bad Experience

Mediclinic Medforum 412 Schoeman Street Sunnyside

I am really concerned of a couple of events that took place at your hospital. My wife was is the Gynaecological ward , admitted as a Hypertensive patient.

Food – All patients need to eat especially when booked into a hospital and the proper diets followed as per Doctors orders depending on the patient`s condition

• The next morning someone came to take food orders and she specifically gave the order as Halaal , no beef and no chicken. At around 13:00pm she was taken for the Sonar and when she got back, there was no food left for her. When she asked the lady where the food is, she was very abrupt and said “ you said you will not be here’ Which is not the truth. No need to be rude , Why not offer her something else as she is a patient and needs to eat.

• Towards the evening the food came and an incorrect order was left - Chicken salad – as above she does not eat Chicken. So we had to ask around to see what others in the room received and made a swop, only to find out that it was also Chicken Tramezzini. I went out and bought her something to eat. So clearly no care if Patients eat or not. The other 3 patients were witness to this.

It just felt like these people don’t care about their jobs or the patients. Why ask what you going to have if you bring all the wrong foods.

You can imagine them mixing up an order and giving a patient something that they were not supposed to eat that can cause a further impact to their health.

Food aside

• There was one nurse at the front counter that was extremely rude, no way of talking. I did not want to snap at her as I still need my wife taken care of. I just walked up to the door and she looked at me, then pointing at the button outside, when she buzzed me in, she said” you must press the button otherwise we wont know you here” Yes If I was waiting like an idiot then for sure, tell me that so I know. • The next day, a gentleman came to take my wife for the Sonar, and he told her to drink lots of water then tell the nurse in the front to call the xray department. When I approached the nurse, and while asking her to call the gentleman from the xray department, the same rude nurse jumped into our conversation and said “ is it that guy” I responded i`m sure who he was, she then repeated, “is it that guy” so I looked in her face and said I’m not sure. She then said she will call him, leave it to me. 30 minutes passed and my wife is still pressed and its urgent, I went back to the front desk and asked the nurse to call as no one came, the nurse that said she will call was not there. A white nurse assisted and called the Xray department and they came down.

This is definitely not a service with a smile I know felt that I’m leaving my wife in the hands of some people that are rude and uncaring and wondered if she will get the care she needs.

Major Impact 1. What I am really disappointed in and upset about was the fact that the hospital sent two people from accounts department to see my wife , My wife being a Hypertensive patient , being treated for a life threatening illness , gets told that she has to pay R7300 as a co-payment and wants to know how she`s going to pay for it. Being a hospital , you should know how to deal with patients , I can understand if you telling someone that broke their toe, or came in for stitches on their hand and can handle news like that, but someone like my wife and the condition she is in was really unacceptable and unprofessional. This just increased her stress levels and this is what they treating her for.

I am her husband and when she was admitted, I completed all documents and already agreed to that co-payment and I certainly did not want this on my wife`s conscious because she`s Hypertensive and now she gets told and this news just stresses her out more. Dr Hassan also asked the nurse why her pressure is so high as she`s getting discharged – it`s obvious that this news shocked her. What is the purpose of the next of kin and making arrangements if this is what is done to patients. Its not about the money but the health of the patients that concerns me and should be considered by the hospital staff.

As her husband when I ask any of the nurses how she is and what the cause is, there is either, the Dr will come see her, or wait for the Dr, no feedback. This makes me even stress as she lays there with no one knowing what`s happening.

My wife would not be the first or the last, but someone needs to do something about communication and unprofessionalism in the hospital. (Not all the staff but certain ones that needs an attitude adjustment – the patient is the client, they not doing us any favors as we are paying for the service. We were also not asking for free or cheap services.

Disgusted with the Service - it seems its all about the money