Your experiences with the HSE ?

gctest50

Wompa1 wrote: »

......

Ireland = No Insurance Required, No Healthcare provided
USA= Insurance Required, Excellent Healthcare provided

medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the USA

just behind heart disease and cancer

According to a report by the Institute of Medicine,
an estimated 30 percent of all medical procedures, tests and medications may in fact be unnecessary

– at a cost of at least $750 billion a year

.

Wompa1

gctest50 wrote: »

medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the USA

just behind heart disease and cancer




.

link? Also, doesn't that kind of make my point that do try....plus does this delineate between clinics and hospitals? Unfortunately those who can't afford insurance can end up in clinics which are diabolical

Piliger

Wompa1 wrote: »

how so? Check out the thread for a sample of the healthcare in Ireland.

So your reading of one thread of a handful of people with complaints against a nationwide organisation that treats hundreds of thousands, maybe even more than a million people a year .... and that is the basis of your assessment "No Healthcare provided" ? Yeah ? And you think that is a rational and intelligent conclusion ? Really ?

Wompa1

Piliger wrote: »

So your reading of one thread of a handful of people with complaints against a nationwide organisation that treats hundreds of thousands, maybe even more than a million people a year .... and that is the basis of your assessment "No Healthcare provided" ? Yeah ? And you think that is a rational and intelligent conclusion ? Really ?

The way people form opinions about everything is through experience. I've had very poor personal experiences with healthcare in Ireland....I waited 7 months for one appointment and then another appointment didn't come through at all. Now, my case was a suspected blood disease which for the most part in younger people it's not an issue. In some cases it can deposit in the liver and cause serious damage or death..it's not something which should be completely discarded or even left without.

I received No treatment...No Healthcare provided.

You can say it's just a few people out of many, which may be true. Personally, I do believe that many people wait a long, long time to get treated and in some cases do not receive any treatment at all.

Also, for what it's worth. I'm sure you know well yourself. It's not just on Boards that people talk about this. There's plenty of people who have their own horror stories. My sister went 2 years without an appointment for a head injury. Eventually she went private and they ran some tests, said we don't know and sent her on her way.

havetoquit

I have found most of the revelations regarding the HSE horrendous and feel total sympathy for those treated in such a negligent and incompetent manner. I have a feeling that I have had a lucky escape to be honest.

My issue will sound trivial following those posts, but perhaps someone can answer my question;

A Medical Card holder, who also happens to be a pensioner, is suffering chronic, bordering on intolerable pain and and is acutely sleep deprived because of it. She has an appointment with a specialist in a week's time and he requires that she presents MRI results, before he can decide on the appropriate treatment. This is all fine, except that this lady has been told categorically that there is no way she can have an MRI appointment for weeks, if not months. This would mean cancelling her specialist appointment, subsequently delaying urgent treatment, which will impact so seriously upon her issue, that the condition may well be beyond treatment, or at best hugely reduce any beneficial effect.

Is it right that this unfortunate lady should be forced to lose her pride and dignity by accepting charity from her friends and neighbours in the form of an MRI scan, in order to receive what should be her right at her age, having paid into the system for almost 50 years?

She contacted the HSE and asked if the MRI fee would be reimbursed, as after all, had she waited, they would have had to stand the cost. She received a very brief, curt and badly articulated letter, stating that; 'No, the HSE does not reimburse'

I would like to know if this is legally the case and if not, where and whom should she contact to have the issue resolved?

I think this is a very unacceptable way to treat one's people, particularly the most vulnerable in our society.
Why does a small country like Holland not have these problems in their health service?

Many thanks in anticipation of opinions/comments/suggestions.

FloatingVoter

Just discovered on Wednesday morning that I can get a Long term Illness book. Means I don't have to pay the chemist €2.50 a month for epilepsy meds. So that's a free pint every two months. Or a pack of cigs every four.

havetoquit

Thank you for your unexpected and unusual response!

May I ask which channels you pursued in order to receive your long term illness book as, it seems odd that I and many others I know of, who are in a similar position have not been informed of this by their respective GP's.

FloatingVoter

havetoquit wrote: »

Thank you for your unexpected and unusual response!

May I ask which channels you pursued in order to receive your long term illness book as, it seems odd that I and many others I know of, who are in a similar position have not been informed of this by their respective GP's.

Got told by the pharmacist on Wednesday morning. She gave me the form when she noticed the tablets were for epilepsy. Apparently its only been included on the list of illnesses covered since last December (?).

Heres a link to the form: http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/schemes/lti/ltiform.pdf

havetoquit

Many thanks for the link. Very kind and I wish you well.

coffee_cake

havetoquit wrote: »

Is it right that this unfortunate lady should be forced to lose her pride and dignity by accepting charity from her friends and neighbours in the form of an MRI scan, in order to receive what should be her right at her age, having paid into the system for almost 50 years? .

No, it isn't. Is the cost covered by her friends and neighbours now? Is she getting one?

havetoquit

Thank you so much for your response and yes, as far as I know, the wheels are in motion.

I would just like to know if the response she received was correct, as if not and we can establish where she can avail of the correct info' it would be helpful to her. If she is entitled to a reimbursement, it would obviously go a long way towards her regaining some dignity in all this, as she is a fiercely independent individual.

So sad, that through all those years of paying her insurance and taxes, this dear lady, who rarely required the services of her country's health service should on this occasion not be entitled to the €200.00 her scan will cost, so that she can repay those fellow pensioners who are helping her.

I also cannot understand why, in the case of chronic pain and urgency, that a GP does not have the facility to refer a Medical Card patient to any one of the private clinics that carry out MRI's and have the HSE reimburse them. Would this not be more humane?

The whole scenario is quite frightening and makes me really concerned for all our elderly people, who are possibly at some point going to suffer, as they may not be so fortunate in their neighbours and friends.

coffee_cake

One of the clinics I just googled mentions they have a special rate for medical card holders. Also I think the lady in question will be able to claim some of the fee back as tax relief?
However, if your scan is not covered by private health insurance, you are entitled to tax relief at 20% on the full cost of the scan. That is equivalent to a refund of €45.


Anyway I'm afraid I don't have any more info but I'm sorry to hear she's in that position

havetoquit

Really appreciate your interest and the trouble taken to avail of this information.

So very kind, bless you.

Spring Onion

Piliger wrote: »

So your reading of one thread of a handful of people with complaints against a nationwide organisation that treats hundreds of thousands, maybe even more than a million people a year .... and that is the basis of your assessment "No Healthcare provided" ? Yeah ? And you think that is a rational and intelligent conclusion ? Really ?

How much proof do you need? I didn't reply to this thread because I really didn't want to share the lousy experiences my family had within the HSE. It depresses me to think about it. It is a disgraceful organisation and it's getting worse.

havetoquit

So sad to hear all of this and to see posters even feeling the need to vent in such a strong way.

Is there any way that we, the Irish public could collectively bring about change, or do something, anything proactively to highlight our dissatisfaction? Would lobbying our MEP's, mass protests, signed petitions help, or would it at best be tolerated, at worst ignored or dismissed?

There must be something that we, the voters and tax paying public can do, besides passively watching things escalate and seeing the most vulnerable in our society treated in this way? What happens when one is elderly and left alone, with nobody to support you or help you to gain your rights?

Why should anyone in pain and discomfort in a modern democracy suffer the indignity of being placed on a trolley in a noisy corridor, whilst all comers are party to your predicament?

It is said that you continue to get what you tolerate, so is this how our HSE works?

Who will be the voice of those who no longer have the strength to show theirs?

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Mixed experiences tbh.
My mother died at 44 years old, after being sent home from hospital and told there was nothing wrong with her. That was on a Monday afternoon. Less than 24 hours later, she was rushed into hospital by ambulance, spent 5 hours in theatre having 'emergency' surgery and afterwards she was placed in ICU, where she died the following day. She died from septicaemia, and had they done the op the first day she went in, she would most likely still be alive now.

My dad was diagnosed with cancer last year, and the same hospital were fantastic right from the start. From the first X-ray that indicated something was wrong, everything was just so thorough and quick. He had a CT scan 3 days after his X-ray results, the following day after being told there was a tumor he was brought in for fluid drainage and the next day sent to Dublin for his biopsy. Not even two weeks later he received the results, and was referred to an amazing oncologist who straight away had organised a PET scan, warrafin treatments and had such a positive attitude.
He was taken care of so well by oncology while going through his treatment but towards the end, before he died, he was admitted onto a medical ward and it was such a difference. No real bedside manner, not the same level of care, I regularly arrived onto my dads ward to find him in wet clothes or with no sheets on him. He had pneumonia ffs.

He was moved to palative care two days before he died and was really well looked after, as was myself and my brother. There was one nurse there who was amazing. She was doing much more than just her job. The first night he was there she brought me outside to the garden (the doors from the room opened onto the healing garden) and she sat with me while I got some air. She sat with my dad while I showered and she reassured me if I slept that she would take the best care of him that night. And she did. Every time I woke up, she was either coming in or going out. She was back on the second night, which was the night he passed away. She made me hold his hand while he took his last breaths, and she sat with me and gave me hugs until it was time for him to be moved to the
Mortuary. As it was 4am when I was leaving, she rang a friend for me and asked if it was okay if I went to her house. When the taxi arrived, she walked me out to the taxi and made sure I got in to it.

She was without a doubt the nicest person I've ever met, and while its part of her job to deal with death and upset families, she was so kind and I will never be able to say enough nice things about her, or thank her enough for how much she helped me those two nights.

I do think they're under a severe amount of pressure and funny enough, when my mam was neglected, that was back in 2006, before any "cuts" to the services.

Piliger

havetoquit wrote: »

So sad to hear all of this and to see posters even feeling the need to vent in such a strong way.

Is there any way that we, the Irish public could collectively bring about change, or do something, anything proactively to highlight our dissatisfaction? Would lobbying our MEP's, mass protests, signed petitions help, or would it at best be tolerated, at worst ignored or dismissed?

There must be something that we, the voters and tax paying public can do, besides passively watching things escalate and seeing the most vulnerable in our society treated in this way? What happens when one is elderly and left alone, with nobody to support you or help you to gain your rights?

Why should anyone in pain and discomfort in a modern democracy suffer the indignity of being placed on a trolley in a noisy corridor, whilst all comers are party to your predicament?

It is said that you continue to get what you tolerate, so is this how our HSE works?

Who will be the voice of those who no longer have the strength to show theirs?

That's fine if you subscribe to the entitlement generation and if you think the government is responsible for granting your every need. I personally do not !

We have a tiny country with a small economy and too many people who expect first class services for free. It's total BS.

And while the boom was here 'the people' spoke ... yes. They voted to throw more and more and more money at the service instead of fixing it. ANY politician who didn't buy into that policy was rejected.

The fact is we spend WAY too much on ridiculous treatments for a tiny number of people, and there are no votes for anyone who wants to really reform the Service because it would mean letting thousands of people go.

And when you talk about ordinary people ? Go and ask the thousands of nice ordinary families why they dump their parents in hospitals and then refuse to take them back because they cannot be arsed, thus clogging up many hundreds of beds across the country. The truth is that 'the people' refuse to face up to reality and instead spend their time whinging about their own disappointments instead of supporting real reform and realistic services.

havetoquit

Whilst I respect your opinion, I think you may has misinterpreted my post.

I do not in any way, shape or form feel entitled to to have all my needs met by this Government, nor did I suggest that they should be, but I feel we have a right to see our taxes and contributions used to provide what I personally consider to be the most important service of all; health care. Our medical professionals are highly trained and skilled and yet, as many will testify, they are working way over their quota of hours and under pressure and often stress to fulfil their duties, within an organisation that is dysfunctional. Is it any wonder that so many of them give up and emigrate?


You made reference to people who leave their parent's in hospitals. I'm sorry, but I don't feel qualified to comment on that, but thank you for bringing up something that I was not aware of.

I initially posted due to my serious concern for a lady who is chronically ill and whom I feel deserved a scan, which would result in her receiving the treatment she has paid for over the last fifty years in contributions. To me that does not seem like luxury, but a necessity and the facility is fully accessible, if you have the means to pay for it.

Anyway, speaking of us being a small economy; Yes, we are and so is The Netherlands, but their Health Service is managed differently.

During the last election, I had a number of canvassers at my door who went to great lengths to convince me, that we as a nation, we are paying more than adequate contributions to cover a health service, that if managed efficiently could easily provide care to the highest standards, with reasonable waiting lists and which could afford the same medical care for all, regardless of financial means. I wonder what happened there?

In this day and age, having a scan can help to save lives, providing early diagnosis. if you have paid into a system all your life, then is it too much to expect at 80yrs of age to be granted a mere €200.00 for a scan, as opposed to a life risking 4 month wait?

Piliger

havetoquit wrote: »

Anyway, speaking of us being a small economy; Yes, we are and so is The Netherlands, but their Health Service is managed differently.

And their system has just as many people complaining about it as ours. And by the way The Netherlands has a budgetary income that is 4.7 times greater than Ireland.

During the last election, I had a number of canvassers at my door who went to great lengths to convince me, that we as a nation, we are paying more than adequate contributions to cover a health service, that if managed efficiently could easily provide care to the highest standards, with reasonable waiting lists and which could afford the same medical care for all, regardless of financial means. I wonder what happened there?

It seems clear to me that you were listening to some really dishonest people.

In this day and age, having a scan can help to save lives, providing early diagnosis. if you have paid into a system all your life, then is it too much to expect at 80yrs of age to be granted a mere €200.00 for a scan, as opposed to a life risking 4 month wait?

Your facts about this lady are completely and totally incomplete. I simply do not believe that this situation can not be sorted out by a couple of phone calls to move the specialists appointment until after the scan. I see no reason whatsoever to get a private scan. The questions you pose are questions that should be posed to her GP. if she is incapable of dealing with the situation then why is her family not doing so ? or a friend ? I see no HSE failure in this.

coffee_cake

Piliger wrote: »

I see no reason whatsoever to get a private scan. The questions you pose are questions that should be posed to her GP. if she is incapable of dealing with the situation then why is her family not doing so ? or a friend ? I see no HSE failure in this.

If she's in chronic pain and sleep deprived & the scan won't be for months on the public system, then I most certainly see a reason for a private scan

havetoquit

Many thanks Bluewolf and you have obviously taken time to read my original mail, where I mentioned this, whereas, Pilger doesn't seem to have done.
The lady also does not have close family to assist her, but it has all been sorted for her now.

Having never been in this situation myself, I was unsure if there was a way she could be reimbursed, seeing as she is entitled to a free scan anyway, if 16 weeks late.

The reason for urgency was the chronic pain she is suffering and has been for weeks now.

Many thanks for responses from those who showed compassion and insight, rather than defensiveness of our fractured system.

Piliger

bluewolf wrote: »

If she's in chronic pain and sleep deprived & the scan won't be for months on the public system, then I most certainly see a reason for a private scan

I most certainly do not. I cannot imagine that any doctor in Dublin would not obtain such a scan and maybe an admission to hospital immediately if this were the case.

Piliger

havetoquit wrote: »

Many thanks Bluewolf and you have obviously taken time to read my original mail, where I mentioned this, whereas, Pilger doesn't seem to have done.

I read the complete post and your other posts before I responded. You need to differentiate between people who agree with you and those who do not. I disagree with you and I and you surely cannot be claiming here that your post is the certified full medical statement of fact on this lady ? Which is what I said and I then questioned why nothing could be done.

IvaBigWun

havetoquit wrote: »

Is there any way that we, the Irish public could collectively bring about change, or do something, anything proactively to highlight our dissatisfaction? Would lobbying our MEP's, mass protests, signed petitions help, or would it at best be tolerated, at worst ignored or dismissed?

Start a Facebook fanpage?

But seriously; lobby some local TDs.

Eleven Benevolent Elephants

Why do non medical card holders have to pay for A&E visits?

Surely that's not in the spirit of our so called universal health care?

Eleven Benevolent Elephants

Eleven Benevolent Elephants wrote: »

Why do non medical card holders have to pay for A&E visits?

Surely that's not in the spirit of our so called universal health care?

Non medical-card holders are now being told at pharmacists that they no longer qualify at all for access to the limited influenza vaccine according to several posters on the flu vaccine thread. Once after an emergency major abdominal surgery at a public hospital I developed a severe but perfectly manageable post operative infection (inevitable given the peritonitis of leaking bowel). After the surgeon reopened the wound in outpatients (to allow infection out) she said it needed daily attention for about two weeks by a public health nurse, but then when she tried to arrange one to visit me it was found I did not qualify as I had not got a medical card. Still on strong morphine, was unable to drive and not good on my feet, yet I had to arrange to visit my GP's nurse daily by taxi, and of course pay the full whack. For patients who need incontinence wear and other stuff they do not qualify that and all sorts without a medical card. The two tier system works both ways.

Eleven Benevolent Elephants

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Non medical-card holders are now being told at pharmacists that they no longer qualify at all for access to the limited influenza vaccine

Wtf has medical card or means got to do with health or immunity?

My dad always gets a bad flu every winter. He's in his 60's but well off financially. It's not fair. If there's limited amount it should be based off actual need, not medical card Vs non medical card.

Meanwhile single mothers are hoovering up all the vaccines.

Necro

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