Disturbing Experience in ICU: Inappropriate Conduct by a Nurse

I write this on behalf of my 72 year old mother.

I was transferred from the ICU to a general ward on 29 May.

Before my transfer, a doctor visited me and said, "We won't see each other again because you no longer need us." I looked at the clock and realised I needed some water, so I asked a nearby nurse for assistance.

Later that evening, a male nurse came to check my blood pressure.

At around 8:00 PM, I asked for my prescribed sleeping medication. A female nurse, who had just started her shift in my ward, attended to me. I was not asking for anything unusual, only the sleeping tablets that had already been prescribed by my doctor.

When I asked her for the medication, her response shocked me.

She looked at me and said:

"Nothing is for free. What are you going to give me?"

I was confused and asked what she meant.

Her reply was immediate:

"Money."

I then asked what she wanted to do with the money.

She repeated:

"Nothing is for free, and I need money."

I explained that I did not have any money with me. She appeared annoyed and walked away.

After I had to ask several more times for my prescribed sleeping medication, another nurse eventually brought me my medication after 11:00 PM.

What upset me most was not only the delay in receiving medication that had been prescribed to me, but the unacceptable behaviour and attitude displayed by the nurse. As a vulnerable patient recovering after an ICU stay, I found it deeply disturbing to be asked for money in exchange for basic care and medication that I was entitled to receive.

Patients place their trust in healthcare professionals during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Being confronted with what felt like a request for payment in return for medical assistance was humiliating, inappropriate, and completely unacceptable.

I believe this incident warrants a thorough investigation so that no other patient has to experience similar treatment.