First government hospital experience

A

Admiral Snackbar

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Trying to figure out how much money I 'saved'. The entire ordeal took 10 hours excluding travel time.

But it was cheap. R35.

I got; (repeats 6x)
Flomist 12ml
Azithromycin 500mg x 6 (two boxes)
Lansoloc x 60
Allecet x 30
Prednisone x 50

And I have to go for a CT Scan and a followup appointment. Yay.

Saved is a relative term - I would not have gotten any of this if I didn't go. I would have just suffered.

They stuck a camera up my nose.

Unemployment is fun (sarcasm).


Oh the doctors were amazing by the way. Better than any private experience I've ever had.
The waiting time and management/condition is just subpar.
 
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Admiral Snackbar said:
Trying to figure out how much money I 'saved'. The entire ordeal took 10 hours excluding travel time.

But it was cheap. R35.

I got; (repeats 6x)
Flomist 12ml
Azithromycin 500mg x 6 (two boxes)
Lansoloc x 60
Allecet x 30
Prednisone x 50

And I have to go for a CT Scan and a followup appointment. Yay.

Saved is a relative term - I would not have gotten any of this if I didn't go. I would have just suffered.

They stuck a camera up my nose.

Unemployment is fun (sarcasm).


Oh the doctors were amazing by the way. Better than any private experience I've ever had.
The waiting time and management/condition is just subpar.
Click to expand...
Which hospital did you go to? Also what's they quantity of the tabs?
 
Privately CT scans are R3-4K if you pay cash immediately as a cash patient here by me, else they charge my medical aid R6K. Had two done the last two years.

But if you are a H3 patient at a Western Cape hospital you also pay private rates. H3 is basically a household that earns enough to pay tax (Have an income of more than R72 000 (single) or R100 000 (family) per year).

I guess the cost of the meds depends on your situation. For me to pay R10 for my chronic meds at the State hospital is not worth the wait as I pay R44 at my local chemist.
 
Admiral Snackbar said:
...
Oh the doctors were amazing by the way. Better than any private experience I've ever had.
...
Click to expand...

Was a guest at Tygerberg last week for a planned operation and only compliments to the staff. I had a better experience there than what I had in January when i was in my local private hospital. For planned procedures I've got no complaints, but for emergencies I will stick to my private hospital.
 
HavocXphere said:
About 20 bucks a pill per google


You sure you weren't born in a gov hospital. I certainly was. I guess that might not count...
Click to expand...

Oh for some reason I thought it was expensive.
Well I must have saved thousands somewhere. I saw an ENT when I was employed and he wanted R60k to remove something the gov hospital said doesn't need to be removed.

I have no idea where I was born.
 
cbrunsdonza said:
Privately CT scans are R3-4K if you pay cash immediately as a cash patient here by me, else they charge my medical aid R6K. Had two done the last two years.

But if you are a H3 patient at a Western Cape hospital you also pay private rates. H3 is basically a household that earns enough to pay tax (Have an income of more than R72 000 (single) or R100 000 (family) per year).

I guess the cost of the meds depends on your situation. For me to pay R10 for my chronic meds at the State hospital is not worth the wait as I pay R44 at my local chemist.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what the household income is, but it can't be a lot. Both parents work government entry level jobs.
What meds are so cheap?
I opted for them to deliver the meds to my nearest clinic but i hope they dont make any mistakes... I am fearful of the operations in Tygerberg etc. But everything else was on point

Wow so I guess our government isn't so bad if we are getting free medical care. But then again I won't pretend to know anything about that. It might just be a Western Cape thing or this particular hospital.

I really hope no one protests violently and burns it to the ground I really need this fascility.
 
cbrunsdonza said:
Was a guest at Tygerberg last week for a planned operation and only compliments to the staff. I had a better experience there than what I had in January when i was in my local private hospital. For planned procedures I've got no complaints, but for emergencies I will stick to my private hospital.
Click to expand...

That's great. When I saw an ENT when I was employed he was done with me in 20 minutes, cost me R4000 (basically my whole salary at that time) and told me I need a R60000 operation.

The only surgery I wanted at that time... Was on my wrists :mad:
Now I just wanna get healthy and study... Get a good job. Work hard, get medical aid... Live life
 
Admiral Snackbar said:
Oh for some reason I thought it was expensive.
Well I must have saved thousands somewhere. I saw an ENT when I was employed and he wanted R60k to remove something the gov hospital said doesn't need to be removed.

I have no idea where I was born.
Click to expand...

The government hospitals focus and assist with everything that need immediate attention. That thing that you need to remove might not yet be at the point where it 'have' to be removed.
 
cpu. said:
The government hospitals focus and assist with everything that need immediate attention. That thing that you need to remove might not yet be at the point where it 'have' to be removed.
Click to expand...

They told me this as well. Said in private they cut for everything.
So yeah a paranoid little voice tells me 'what if they can't remove it but they need to but $$$ is a factor'. But the doctors were very explanatory and I am at ease for the most part.

I have the CT scan and a follow up appointment though so hopefully there's no worry.
I wonder if the CT scan will pick up something scary like cancer.
 
I just wish education was also free. I know that probably sounds like a leech but still.
If the government said, 'we need x people in y industries. if you study that you study for free, fail or quit - you pay us back' I would totally do it.
I'm quite apt at most things (except calculus lol) and if they told me, 'snackbar you can become a pharmacist, doctor or teacher as long as you want to and have the drive to do it' I would willingly slave for 4-6 years for those subjects im not picky.

Those are just examples though, I don't know if the gov will say, 'hey we need IT people'. Even if it is true.
 
I only heard bad things about Tygerberg. From a friend who's currently in that hospital.. bill is a little over a million so far and no medical aid
 
blaaislaai said:
I only heard bad things about Tygerberg. From a friend who's currently in that hospital.. bill is a little over a million so far and no medical aid
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Holy Hell.
How is he/she supposed to pay that?
What happened?
I had my appointment for 7 months ago.
I had to give affidavit of residence and unemployment.
 
Admiral Snackbar said:
Holy Hell.
How is he/she supposed to pay that?
What happened?
I had my appointment for 7 months ago.
I had to give affidavit of residence and unemployment.
Click to expand...

It was a bike accident the guy was in, lots of broken bones and such. In hospital for the 2nd month, had a few surgeries as well.

No idea what's gonna happen with the bill though, won't the road accident fund pay for something like this?
 
blaaislaai said:
It was a bike accident the guy was in, lots of broken bones and such. In hospital for the 2nd month, had a few surgeries as well.

No idea what's gonna happen with the bill though, won't the road accident fund pay for something like this?
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Damnit! Surgeries, broken bones etc. That stuff stays with you your entire life. It's like you pay bills and still feel like **** 10 years later.
I don't know if the any one will pay for it. But if he can't pay it... I don't know what happens then either.


I can only say that I hope he gets well and doesn't get horribly depressed!
 
Admiral Snackbar said:
I'm not sure what the household income is, but it can't be a lot. Both parents work government entry level jobs.
What meds are so cheap?
Click to expand...

I've got cholesterol. Meds are dirt cheap.

Admiral Snackbar said:
I opted for them to deliver the meds to my nearest clinic but i hope they dont make any mistakes... I am fearful of the operations in Tygerberg etc. But everything else was on point
Click to expand...

I had a leading surgeon and anaesthetist operating on me. Its an academic hospital and they only allow the students to do non vital things like take your pulse or draw blood. I was walking 2 hours after my operation, a gallbladder removal. The only pain I've had in two weeks has been the natural discomfort from the small wounds.

Admiral Snackbar said:
Wow so I guess our government isn't so bad if we are getting free medical care. But then again I won't pretend to know anything about that. It might just be a Western Cape thing or this particular hospital.

I really hope no one protests violently and burns it to the ground I really need this fascility.
Click to expand...

I won't paint a pretty picture but most stories you hear are urban legends. Why let facts get in the way of a good story. Its only the casualty ward that has some horror stories. But then again I've gone to my local private hospital (Somerset West) emergency to see 15 people in the waiting room being told they must go somewhere else. One was a very sick child who had to go to a Paarl hospital. Don't buy that story that all hospitals have to help you.

I found the complete opposite to what I expected and when I made a positive comment about Tygerberg on a local social media community group I only got more positive responses from similar experiences. I guess when you go there you expect the worst so you prepare yourself.

Sure, I had to bath using a plastic tub but I realised that I would have done the same at the local hospital as it was an abdominal surgery. I got my three meals and warm tea every two hours. Nurses where excellent.
 
During my CPR course the paramedic dude that was doing it said that government hospital casualty wards are usually the best places to go to for emergencies. They are usually extremely good and will stabilize you , once you're stabilized and find out you have medical aid then they ship you off.
 
I had a complex tachycardia event and was taken to the Fishoek Hospital. The Doc on duty said there is nothing he can do and even opened the medicine cabinet to show me that there are not even Panados. I was transferred to Wynberg Hospital. There, I was put on a gurney and wheeled into the emergency room with 10+ patients and just left there for the whole bleeding night with no attention.
A very frightening experience.
Thankfully it reverted back to normal by itself and I was given a bill of R360 for their trouble. That sent me back into tachycardia.
Then the ambulance bill arrived. A massive R6 500.00 for a 20 km trip. Need I say that this caused a severe cardiac event.
 
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