Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Tragically, it happened again. In a different hospital the same sad story.

Remember this post, Death while waiting to be seen about a patient who died in a waiting room after being there for nearly 24 hours while hospital staff just ignored her?

Well, unfortunately something similar happened again, this time at a North Carolina mental hospital.

(CBS/ AP) Investigators say a North Carolina mental patient died after nurses at a state mental hospital left him in a chair for 22 hours and failed to feed him or help him to the bathroom....

Video showed hospital staff watching television and playing cards while Sabock was in the same room. One technician hugged and kissed another staff member and appeared to be dancing.


The staff, who were supposed to be helping him, were making out and playing cards!

Just remember that we had a chance to change the system in 1994. But we lost that battle. Remember? What we got was the Republican-and-insurance-industry alternative. We got it, warts and all. Insurance headaches, bean counters making decisions about your health based on cost, three or four separate bills for the same procedure, massive bills for both insured and uninsured particularly when they are sick, full day long waits in emergency rooms, and (especially and) a system in which patients are just commodities to milk for money, and when they are unprofitable of no more worth than a worn out piece of clothing, and treated accordingly.

True the New York case I discussed in July was at a private hospital and this one was at a state hospital, but the philosophy that led to each death was the same. It is a poisonous philosphy that if a patient is a financial burden, then they don't deserve the time of day, let alone even a minimal level of treatment.

And THIS is supposed to be the best health care in the world?

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