My blog

Apart from having my appendix removed ages ago, before I even started primary school, I have fortunately avoided visits to public hospitals as a surgical patient.

I thought that before the time comes when my health becomes the main topic of conversation and thought, it would be worth testing how our healthcare system works, dealing with a surgical operation that is not very serious, and certainly not life-threatening, but is real nonetheless.

The pandemic is probably not the best time for this type of experience, but on the other hand I thought that if I wanted to face the real truth about the Polish hospital, which has been talked about so much lately, there would be no better time for it.
Almost three years ago, my otolaryngologist made me a tempting offer to straighten my nasal septum. Until that conversation with the doctor, I was completely unaware of this defect in my anatomy. I had never been properly punched in the face and, for as long as I can remember, I had always liked the way I looked in the mirror. True, my father left me a loud and intolerant snoring, but since I lost a few pounds, my bedmates stopped seeing it as a problem.

According to the ENT doctor, there were two ways to restore my full breathing and 100% sleep. The first, immediate, in her private office for 8,000 zlotys and the second, with a long waiting period, in the hospital where my ENT doctor was the head of the ortholaryngology department.

My surgery was scheduled for two and a half years later, in July 2020. However, because of the pandemic, all planned surgeries were canceled for three months, the surgery date was postponed. In September, the hospital called me and said there was a spot available for me.

And so, equipped with five disposable masks, tested for covid the day before admission, I ended up in the ward to spend the next three nights. Among my four wardmates, two with a similar operation were waiting to be discharged, and two had the procedure ahead of them.

The ward, which housed about thirty patients, was served on average per shift by about three nurses and two orderlies speaking with a well-known, eastern accent. It was difficult to count the doctors, because they often changed and were seen in passing in the corridor or during morning rounds, when they surrounded the head doctor in a group of three or four.
There was quite a friendly atmosphere in our room, although we didn't have many conversations, and those that did take place were mostly about speculations about which of us would be the first to be targeted and the pandemic. We were mostly occupied with books, laptops, cell phones, staring at the ceiling and occasionally checking programs on paid hospital TV.

The Covid regime was not particularly observed. You had to wear a mask in the corridor, but no one made a big deal out of not having one.

Family visits to the ward were suspended due to the pandemic, but if you weren't currently grounded with an IV, you could just go out into the corridor to hug your loved ones or wait until the evening, when the entire hospital emptied out, and right by the reception desk, you could have dinner with your family, under the watchful eye of the guards, who seemed to be more humane than you might expect.

The ward staff turned out to be very nice and helpful, just as they should be - I also noticed an interesting regularity - the lower in the hierarchy of an employee in this highly hierarchical institution you deal with, the more heart and dedication you feel.
I won't say anything bad about hospital food. Maybe the breakfast lacked a tomato, but the dinner consisting of vegetable soup, pork loin in sauce, broccoli, rice, salad and three grapes, I considered to be definitely above the hospital standard.
If I were to rate our healthcare service based on those days spent in hospital, it would be a high rating. A rating, of course, according to our capabilities, that is, a country that does not rank very high on the wealth list, among other European countries.
I am of course not referring here to the issue of earnings in the health service, but rather to the feelings from the patient's point of view and the effectiveness of actions taken in his personal case.

I basically have only one, although perhaps a big, complaint about our doctors. I think they show too little empathy for patients and talk to them too little. I missed my doctor coming to me, sitting on my bed, and being there for me for two minutes. He asked how I felt, told me about the upcoming surgery, told me how the surgery went, let me ask a few questions. It doesn't cost much and can work wonders. I would give our healthcare system a six without thinking twice.