Emergency or not

i was working the night shift last night. clocked in at 9pm, and out at 7am this very morning. It was just like any other night shifts that i have done at the emergency department. Usually by 2.30 a.m, the MO's would already clear 98% of the patients (the crowd starts at 9pm). So, by then one of us would have the luxury to take a short nap first. So, after having had a nap, for close to 230 hours, my partner, KZ woke me up indicating that its her turn to take a rest. Who could resist the comfort of the warm fleece blanket especially in that super cold ED. Nevertheless, i still got up, washed my face, and started waiting.

there was only a patient from 4-5 am. 2 patients from 5-6 am. In between those waiting i did 'tersengguk' many times and once in a while landed my head on the desk. isk isk isk. So, into the last hour of my shift, i was alone at the desk. KZ was still sound asleep on the flattened boxes laid onto the cold floor. I didnt have the hearts to wake her up. So i waited.. and alone. At approximately 520am, 3 person came to me, asking me where is the ED screening counter. Showed them the direction, and waited. they came to me again, for registration. I dont know if they're illiterate or they are just plain 'lurus bendul'. Not any FIRST counter u see is the registration counter. Registration counter is next to the pharmacy. So i said, Registration dikaunter sebelah. Pretty much annoyed, but thats just how people are.

at around 6 am, I saw one of them taking a peek into the doctors room. In my thoughts, i'm sure they couldnt handle the long wait. And to make things worse, there were no other patients waiting. :P He came out and blurted something to his friends. Aaaaahh. ni sure doctor tido. In my own thoughts la. 10 minutes later, they were called in into the examining room. 620 am, they came out, walked to me and handed over the registration card. i scanned the code, and i didnt receive the prescription. i tried a few times, i tried to refresh the page 10 times, but to no avail. i told the patient that i havent received the prescription, and i asked them to wait. (sometimes, its not the doctor, but the system) and suddenly

Patient: Ni la ed yang paling teruk saya penah pegi.
me: haaa? (buat2 xdengar)
Patient: Saya datang, tengok doctor tido. skarang ni awak nak
suruh saya tunggu lagi? Ubat xde lagi?
me: *half-annoyed i was. xpe, pegi jumpa doctor balek and suruh doctor release ubat.
Patient: Nak pegi macam mana. Doctor dah keluar. Teruk punya doctor
Die cakap semua okay. tak tengok and xpegang saya pon. terus cakap semua ok.
Apa punya doctor.
me: *kept mum. called doctor straight.
Patient: Pastu mintak MC untuk saya.
me: * pulled a straight face. Aih, ko ingat aku ni ape? nak MC mintak la sendiri. siapa suruh memarah. heeeshh.

boleh x? and for your information, that scenario is a common scenario. Everyday, we get patients complaining to us about how rude some doctors are, and all those complaints la. it is stressful because, they are all angered up, and they dont tell you nicely. they raise their voice to you. Its stressful. I told the patient right after i've dispensed her medications. "lainkali, u nak complain, cakap terus kat doctor. Saya bukan doctor. saya pharmacist. borang complain ada u isi. Jangan datang sini marah2 saya. Bukan saya yang doctor." the patient was stunned to hear that. but eventually she apologized. I understand how stressful it is working during odd hours, and i understand how tiring it can be. But, its even worse for us because patients will not complain to them. because they know if they did, they're afraid that the doctor would deny treatment.

U just cant win when it comes to patient. No matter how hard you try to explain, they just wont listen. because when both person talks, no one will listen. really! For me, sakit or demam biasa its better to go and see the GP, rather than going to the emergency unless it is a real emergency. Many would say, its okay to wait rather than pay a hefty rm50 for simple meds and 5 mins consultation. But actually one waste a lot of time. Even in Islam, we shouldnt waste too much time doing nothing. If they come and read while waiting, i am sure it wouldnt be as bad. But the thing is, Tunggu semata-mata. memang la cepat marah. dah tu, siapa suruh buat dek je. Bawakla quran/story books to read. The doctors kat emergency tu, if there is a real emergency, they will have to leave whatever they doing. and that means, increased waiting time. So? siapa yang rugi?
think about it. till then.