Category: Health
The following was presented as a joke on one of my regular reads but, certainly in Australia, it is simply a statement of truth.
TWO PATIENTS
Two patients limp into two different medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement. The first patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day and has a time booked for surgery the following week. The second patient sees his family doctor after waiting a week for an appointment, then waits six weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed for another month and finally has his surgery scheduled for three months from then. Why the different treatment for the two patients? The first is a golden retriever. The second is a senior citizen.
As an addendum, the second patient would, in the meantime, have had blood tests and the doctor would have phoned him up to tell him he has high cholesterol levels. The doctor would not even remember the hip problem.
I am astounded that we can spend so much on health care and still arrive at such poorly perceived outcomes. |
