העורך Editor

An Israeli Hospital Is No Place for a Sick Person!

I recently saw this upfront and personal, especially in one place (sorry for not naming names and places).

  • An adult with an infection and high fever was discharged from the emergency room by a doctor who never even visited them.
  • Doctors refuse to answer anything beyond some bare minimum.
  • Nurses consistently refuse to give water to dehydrated patients who can’t walk, including in the ICU. I also heard of one patient who was given one cup of water by a nurse coupled with a stern warning to never ask again.
  • A patient with dangerously low blood pressure was daily given medicine to lower their blood pressure. A nurse even told her there is, in fact, no mistake; it’s needed, blah blah.
  • A patient saw their doctor once, then no more for about nine days (and even then, only after heavy-duty “protektzia“).
  • You’re in pain? Can’t take your meds on time because of an urgent issue? Well, the staff lunch break takes half an hour…
  • The nurses all immediately share slander about their hostages. So, if a patient (perhaps even their caretaker?) argues with any one of them for whatever reason, in any way, they all henceforth ignore you (at best!), with no trial, even if the patient is later reconciled with the original nurse.
  • Catch-22: If you take initiative the staff takes insult you don’t trust them, but if you, God forbid, leave things up to them they berate you for not reminding them to do their job.
  • This isn’t America. “Your” doctor isn’t in complete control of your treatment. He has some say (or “pull”), but no more.
  • The hospital social worker’s real and sole job is PR.
  • It’s worse than I dare reveal…

Two lessons I came up with:

  1. From Day One, use every connection you or your family and friends have, or call Chaim V’Chessed. Time won’t “heal” anything.
  2. Never go into that place alone. Ever.

בני פרידמן שר: אשר ישלטו *החסידים* המה בשונאיהם

הועלה ליוטיוב לפני כשנה. לשמוע את המילים כמה שניות לפני הסוף…

אבל לא הוא חידש זאת.

באתר חבד-אינפו יש קטע וידיאו (לא הצלחתי לפעיל) מסיום הופעה למען ארגון ‘אוהל’ בשנת תשנ”ח בו נראים הזמרים מרדכי בן דוד ואברהם פריד ביחד להקת ‘אוף שימחעס’ שרים מחרוזת שירי פורים ושמחים. ברקע נשמעים בן דוד ופריד שרים “אשר ישלטו החסידים המה בשונאיהם”.

מעניין ביותר שהרעיון לא נעלם…