Unfriendly doctors, lack of staff, extremely long waits can be fatal

<p>The husband of a friend passed away at Somerset Hospital three weeks ago. He went to the hospital because of appendicitis. He was left sitting in a chair - and later had to lay down because the pain was too much for him - for over 24 hours before he was examined. He apparently did not receive treatment in time and was probably not adequately monitored. He died 5 days after he arrived at the hospital. His wife - distraught and wondering how someone, this day and age, can die of something as routine as appendicitis - went to speak to the doctors who treated her husband. Out of the four doctors she spoke to, only two were even close to being patient and "human". As one of the decision makers and surgeon during her husband's hospital stay, she was also referred to Dr. Kathryn Chu. I went with her.</p> <p>As my friend cried and lashed out about the long wait and lack of proper care at the hospital, Dr. Chu became very defensive and offended instead of remaining understanding or, at the very least, neutral. She commented that her husband was lucky that he only waited a day to be examined. "There are people who wait for a week!" I found that very insensitive. After a particular comment my friend made (to the effect that if Somerset Hospital lacks staff and resources, they should encourage people to go to private hospitals if they can afford it at all instead of letting them wait and risk receiving treatment too late. Her reasoning was that they would have mortgaged their home or sell something to receive the right treatment and care if they had known that help would come too late), - which, due to English not being my friend's mother tongue, Dr. Chu completely misunderstood - she lashed back saying "I know you will regret what you just said. I think it is very unfair that you say what you say about the hospital and now let's go". She got up abruptly and led us out of the room, signaling that the discussion was over.</p> <p>Not only was my friend looking for answers, she was obviously also looking for closure, comfort and the assurance that the hospital, in spite of lack of resources, staff or whatever else, did all they could for her husband. Dr. Chu not only failed to provide this, she also gave the impression that her feelings were more important that the loss of somebody's life. I would not want to deal with a doctor like Dr. Chu in the event that someone in my family passes away. As an American doctor and, especially knowing that the chances of being slapped with a malpractice lawsuit in a South African public hospital is next to nil, she should have shown more compassion. To the bereaved, a little compassion goes a long way. My friend will never forget this meeting with Dr. Chu today, for all the wrong reasons. Dr. Chu simply should have known better. Somerset Hospital should train their doctors to deal with patients and family members with a little more patience and understanding.</p>