I traveled to another county this weekend to visit my relative at the hospital. My relative is dying of cancer in one of the filthiest, dingy crapholes in this province that dares call itself a hospital. Peeling paint, dirty floors, ignorant staff who can’t tell you fuck all, no one responding to calls, no one to pick up overcrowded trays and loud fucking country and western music blasting in the hallway. My relative was a hard working man for 50 years, paid more than his fare share of taxes and yet he is forced to die in a squalor that should make our health department hang its head in shame. A few years back, my elderly aunt was in the transition unit of the Halifax hospital and it was the same horrible conditions. It makes me shudder to think what will happen when the rest of us are old. It’ll probably be a Soylent Green solution. —Give Me a Good Ol’ Fashioned Heart Attack
This article appears in May 19-25, 2011.
yup…. Nova Scotia sucks.. no denyin’ it.
Ahhhh the old general victoria. Epitome of quality health care facilities.
But don’t worry — there are so few nurses and so many patients that no one’s calls are answered when they ring the bell in any acceptable timeframe. At the Infirmary you have to tell them on a PA system what you want — so if you have to take a dump and are bed ridden and are sharing your room you get to announce that to everyone in your room! How’s THAT for dignity!??!! My aunt was bed ridden from a severe broken leg (which she had to wait a week and a half for ’emergency’ surgery — they had to re brake the bone in the OR because it had already started healing!), and she’d have long ass waits just to have a nurse come in and get her in a chair so she could get to the can to pee!
It’s disgusting how dingy and gross these facilities are and the level of care that’s provided. And it seems to be unique to HRM where everyone’s funnelled for the most severe care. I had surgery in Bridgewater last year and not only did they make sure they had a room for me to stay over night (I initially started off in maternity/peds and then ended up in post surgical), I had my own nurse (well I shared with the lady beside me) who was in at least once an hour to see if I wanted juice or toast and when I rang the buzzer I maybe had to wait a minute or two.
If they can provide that kind of care down there wtf’s up with HRM? FFS.
A friend of mine was there had an operation, and ended up with a very serious infection from that hospital… he’s still very sick and still dealing with the aftermath of the infection years after… I agree op.. maybe they should move the funds for the new trade center to improving our hospitals?
Both my brother-in-law and mother are dying – I thank the Almighty Cosmic Muffin that my mother is at a nursing home with caring workers while my poor b-in-law is at the mercy of our health care system in Pictou County. He was supposedly free of cancer a year ago, then told he was going to die six months later. There were so many screwups including his contracting an infection from the fucking hospital – it makes me sick to think that OP’s comments are all too true.
sounds to me like you were in truro, o.p. last time i was there visiting, i thought i was in india or some other fourth world country.
Hub-Unit’s brother died this morning. To think he died in a dismal hole of a hospital is absolutely sickening.
My condolences to you both, TT.
🙁
Privatize. If you have the money, you should be permitted to choose your care.
Sorry for your family’s loss TTFN.
Sorry to hear that, TTFN. 🙁
You mean socialism isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? You mean single payer health care doesn’t result in Taj Mahal like medical facilities? Well, you don’t say… Luckily now that Harper is in, and alternative delivery methods are welcome, people in a similar circumstance in ten years I hope will have a less negative experience at a healthcare facility in this country. Though the country and western music might be louder…
PS… My cousin’s gf just died of cancer in a local hospital – I know it is a hospital much like the one you are referring to. I am very sorry for your loss, and don’t hold my flippant political post against me – that has nothing to do with the pain you are dealing with in your situation… 🙁
Aw TTFN, I’m sorry to hear about your brother in law 🙁
I think these places have gone all downhill in the past decade or so. I’ve had two grandparents spend time in palliative care — one at the old infirmary and the other at the VG. This was in the mid 80s and the early 90s and the facilities were great from what I can remember.
Fast forward to today — I have several specialists at the VG I visit a couple times a year each and it’s a hole. Plain and simple. The new infirmary is better, but I don’t think they do much palliative care there.
What we NEED are hospices! Hospitals aren’t places people should go to to die: we need a solid system of hospice care and more options for those who want to die at home. There are actually no hospices in HRM, IIRC, except for long term/continuing care facilities, which aren’t readily available to everyone who needs that care. Hospices provide more home-like atmospheres, and focus on the making the patient comfortable instead of treating them, and provides services for loved ones too. You are in a homey environment that is designed to be calm places where people can die on their own terms with those around them who care about them. The palliative care unit at the old infirmary was like that, and I remember my parents taking turns staying over night in one of the family rooms (which had a pull out coach, tv, board games, etc…) and the atmosphere was calm and serene.
People in hospitals who are there to die shouldn’t have the stress of a dingy, potentially noisy place. It’s bad enough for those who know they’re going to get to go home at some point. Being in the hospital sucks enough. I was on for one night and i couldn’t wait to bust outta there. You lose all dignity when you’re in there — I was in for a simple surgery and I had to pee in a “hat” and the nurses had to measure my urine output and I had to have the nurse help me put my underwear on after the sugery — and I’m relatively young and healthy. I can’t imagine how awful it would be if you were really sick and needed help to do much more. The lady beside me had bowel cancer and had to have her feces output measured! How humiliating would that be (the urine output was enough, feces output? gahh).
When I read the first two words of the title of this Bitch “Filthy Hole”, my first thought was “Why is Sebastian the subject of a bitch?”.
Sorry for your and Hub’s loss TTFN. Hugs and love.
I’m having a pretty good day on its own, wheelie, but that post RIGHT THERE made it ohhh 10000x better!
Hugs and love to TTFN too! 🙁 I hope everything works out re: what you told me at the last summit and that the hub unit’s doing well with his loss 🙁
Thanks, guys, I appreciate your condolences.
My b-in-law was an awesome man who love life, nature and adored animals. I know he’d have a big hearty bellylaugh if I could have shown this video to him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqmba7npY8g…
This one’s for you, Ronnie. RIP
Aww TTFN. My uncle was like that and passed away way too friggin early. It’s always the good ones, eh? My dad was adopted and only got back in touch with his birth family about 8 years ago. He grew up being friends with his half siblings, but lost contact for about 35 years. I got to meet this uncle (and the rest of dad’s siblings) and maaan he was one awesome guy. From the second dad and he got back in contact they were thick as thieves and whenever he’d call we’d have a chat and he’d always say he loved me and was proud to have such a beautiful and accomplished neice (I’m the only granddaughter –all the other grandkids are boys). He was just a great guy and it’s such a shame when he died. My dad still misses him (they’d talk on the phone for hours every Sunday night and that’s when he misses him the most).
Just remember though — we’re all better people for having such persons in our lives!
My Mom was in the General Victoria as well and passed away there last summer. It is a nasty hole – none of you mentioned the fact that patients can’t shower or bath as there is legionaire’s disease in the water as the pipes are so rotted.. How crazy is that? In a hospital? There are thousands of bottles of water going in and out of there as well as bagged ice because they can’t use the water. How much does that cost?? This place needs to be condemned. And then there was the stories of the rats from the nurses.. > it saddens me deeply that this is where she spent her last several weeks.
I imagine they’ll expand the Infirmary on the QEH site soon enough.
I agree the VG is horrifying, but saying that the infirmary is clean is a mistake. Take it from me, its not nearly a place where i would want my sick family member to be. Sure it might look more visully appealing, but how often do you think the elevator buttons are cleaned with a disinfectant instead of stainless steel polish, or how often are the handrails cleaned that go up and down each hallway, and how many patients who are on isolation precautions because they have an antibiotic resistant infection that is contagious walk around the hallways and go to the cafeteria and touch the tables you’re eating off of. Its bad.