SFC(R)L
July 31st, 2009, 5:55 pm
Friday, July 31, 2009
Commentary
I was a victim of U.S. government care
Richard E. Ralston
Before I developed a detailed interest in government management of health care, I was unwillingly introduced to the subject after I was badly injured in a head-on collision in a taxi to LaGuardia Airport in 1993. To my everlasting regret, the ambulance took me to a hospital run by the city of New York.
The hospital was undoubtedly understaffed and overwhelmed. But that situation was made much worse by a nursing staff of indifferent, bloody-minded, time-serving union hackss. During the next eight nights, I did encounter two or three hard-working nurses trying to help patients as much as they could, but they were a tiny minority.
I waited outside the emergency room for some hours until someone complained about the large pool of blood accumulating beneath my gurney. I required many hours of surgery to repair blood vessels, then tissue, then skin. Afterward I complained of pain in my hip, and the surgeon asked the nurse to bring a painkiller for my IV. After 30 minutes, he asked the nurse about it, and she said she could not "push it in" (to the IV bag). The surgeon responded, "Then tell me that, don't just walk away." The head of the ER later explained that the union agreement did not permit nurses to push other medications into IV bags.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090731/OPINION01/907310336/1008/opinion01/I-was-a-victim-of-U.S.-government-care
Jesus
Mary
and
Joseph
Hail Mary, Mother of God
Commentary
I was a victim of U.S. government care
Richard E. Ralston
Before I developed a detailed interest in government management of health care, I was unwillingly introduced to the subject after I was badly injured in a head-on collision in a taxi to LaGuardia Airport in 1993. To my everlasting regret, the ambulance took me to a hospital run by the city of New York.
The hospital was undoubtedly understaffed and overwhelmed. But that situation was made much worse by a nursing staff of indifferent, bloody-minded, time-serving union hackss. During the next eight nights, I did encounter two or three hard-working nurses trying to help patients as much as they could, but they were a tiny minority.
I waited outside the emergency room for some hours until someone complained about the large pool of blood accumulating beneath my gurney. I required many hours of surgery to repair blood vessels, then tissue, then skin. Afterward I complained of pain in my hip, and the surgeon asked the nurse to bring a painkiller for my IV. After 30 minutes, he asked the nurse about it, and she said she could not "push it in" (to the IV bag). The surgeon responded, "Then tell me that, don't just walk away." The head of the ER later explained that the union agreement did not permit nurses to push other medications into IV bags.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090731/OPINION01/907310336/1008/opinion01/I-was-a-victim-of-U.S.-government-care
Jesus
Mary
and
Joseph
Hail Mary, Mother of God