Being Hospitalised

No, not me, but a very close friend of mine who had an absolutely HILARIOUS reason for getting warded.

but anyway, my story today is about the actual process of being hospitalised. This friend of mine had recently come bck to Singapore having been away overseas for a long time. finally starting up her CPF contributions again, I suggested and have been trying to get her on a good local hospitalisation insurance package. she kept saying that needed to wait until she was more settled back home before she could start on one.

in any case, she had a little accident (- it is funny how these accident/illness things always strike those that don't have proper coverage) and had to be hospitalised for observation.

now she was in a government hospital, not by choice but because her doctor happened to recommend her there. apparently her relatives/mum/etc were asking her, "why didn't you ask your doctor to refer you to mount e or gleneagles or a private hospital!"

but checked in already, and lying in the cot waiting for whatever it was that needed waiting for, HERE is the kicker.

NO MORE A OR B CLASS WARDS AVAILABLE.

she had to suck it up in C class. the 6 bed wards.

that's not to say that C class isn't a good place to receive medical care. it's just that it is the lowest tier. lack of privacy, fighting for nurses' attention etc. we've all heard the stories..

now, even knowing that she would have to foot the majority of the bill on her own, she was more than willing to pay money to get into A or B after that. she was still lucky that she has her basic medishield plan and is high up enough in the heirarchy of her office to get a decent company insurance compensation plan.

I can tell you when i went to visit that i have resolved to make sure that my clients get the best they can possbile get when it comes to hospitalisation plans. it really just makes me grateful that my job is about helping people to afford the best possible treatment that they could want in a situation where they couldn't imagine doing anything less.

MY GOODNESS. the wards don't have doors - it's not a closed 6 bedder but it's opened up into everywhere. majority of the people in there look like they are above the age of 60, and it is no offense to be elderly, but when you are a YOUNG persons seated in a room full of older folk, with assortments of maladies, you can't help but get this shrinking feeling that the grim reaper is walking around, looking over your shoulder.

now my friend got a little tiny enclosed corner. the ladies of the ward must have dragged a cot into this corner and draped the curtains across to give her a little privacy, but unfortunately it really did not help much. my friend shared that overnight, you can hear EVERYTHING that's going on. people moaning and groaning, crying and being upset, screaming in some cases, and (seriously) the vacuum cleaner going about the corridor early in the morning.

for someone who had just a teeny tiny accident, didn't have insurance, she was WILLING to pay for a higher class ward to get out of there for the duration of her short stay. what i find sad about this whole situation is those poor older folk who will never have a chance to improve their coverage at their age. they don't have a choice because of the costs of treatment for their long term ailments could never afford them the luxury of an upgrade - it just wouldn't be sustainable.

think twice when you are looking at hospital plans. make sure that you are getting what you bargain for.

given the levels and tiers of hospitalization insurance there are these days, it provides us with so many options to suit our budget. but my advice is - DON'T SCRIMP ON YOUR HEALTHCARE. 

reaffirmed in what i do,
Jessica