This week is polyclinic week.
so instead of going to the hospital,
i make my way to amgmokio polyclinic instead.
today was my first day at the polyclinic.
and wow.
Ever wondered why the the queues at the polyclinic are always
as long as the queues for the audtitions of the singapore idol?
well.
I have the answer right here.
The nurses there are total lazy bums through and through.
Ever wondered what goes on behind the registration counter and the
door of the consultations rooms?
Well.
I was ushered into one of the rooms.
The Woman wellness clinic.
The ones where pregnant women go to
for check ups,
breast examinations and
papsmears
( a procedure where a scary cone shaped duck-beak thing
is stuck into your vagina and prys it open,
followed whereby a brush silmilar to the one you brush
your braces with is poked in
and is used to scrapped bits of cells off the wall of your cervix or something.)
Yupp.
Ouch.
tell me about it.
and the best part is that when interviewed by a horrified me,
patients say that its not painful.
Just uncomfortable.
Well, apparently,
PAIN SEEMS TO BE SUBJECTIVE.
and if it were up to me.
i'd run away screaming if i ever had to get a papsmear done.
anyways.
i got to observe a papsmear procedure.
done by a really hot looking arabian doctor or something.
he had those really adorable curls thing going on.
with the sexiest, soothing accent.
i suppose if i HAD to have a papsmear done.
I wouldnt mind him doing it for me.
hahahaha.
stop it.
Stop digressing sara.
He was really professional about the whole thing.
like reassuring and stuff.
except for one part.
while he was explaining and pointing out the different parts of
the inside of a woman's vagina to me and scraping at the wall (quite enthusiastically)
at the same time, he went,
"Well, this one's not a bleeder!"
Thankfully i was standing behind him and he couldnt see my facial expression
when i heard his comment.
Cause i gave him a "You sick fuck" look.
haha.
excuse me if you think theres nothing wrong with that comment.
cause it sounded grossly over enthusiastic to me.
anyways, back to the main point.
The old nurses there seem to act as if their retirement
begun early.
They literally just sit in the rolling chairs,
and write redundant notes.
and they keep finding excuses to leave the room with lame
reasons like
"i need to print this." or "i need to photocopy that."
at one point,
this nurse whose room i was assigned to,
picked up her phone and dialled her friend.
Having an enture conversation about
this sale at OG and if she wanted those shoes she saw,
and what her feet size are.
As for me.
i was practically snozing in the chair.
There werent many patients coming in at all.
And half the time i was just told to help her draw lines
on her stupid book, or
cut and fold pieces of paper.
Incase you still dont get the picture.
While you are sitting in the queue, desperately looking up at the
queue number, wishing in vain for the number to change, while you sniff pathetically
at your dribbling nose and cough like a tubercolosis patient,
a nurse who should be attending to you,
is lounging like a queen on her throne
and talking about the OG sale.
But,
To be fair, you cant blame them.
I'd probably do the same thing in their situation.
Day in day out, having to face the same old stubborn patients,
who refuse to take your painfully given advise
to quite smoking, eat healthly and do regular breast self examinations.
and instead, come in here only when they think that they are on the brink of death,
and expect you to work a bloody miracle.
if i were them.
i'd sit on my throne and pick my nose too.
besides.
whats the incentive?
whether i see 10 patients aday,
or 40, i still get the same pay.
Might as well work at my own sluggish pace.
Oh wells.
This is what you get for heavily subsidized
primary healthcare.
So.
i hope my post has given you insight on the
behind-the-scenes of a busy, packed, looking polyclinic.
Give me a Private clinic anyday.
toodles!