Why Private Hospital?

Have you ever wondered why 'those who can afford' will always prefer private hospitals to the government ones? It is not because they have the best doctors or facilities. In fact, the doctors who work at these private hospitals are the same doctors in the government hospitals. Besides, the best medical facilities are found in the government hospitals. So I ask the 'sixty-four million dollar question' again: Why Private Hospitals?

To begin with, the government hospitals are very hostile and not patient friendly. Get to the OPDs in the morning and you are met with long queues. If you are unfortunate, you will stand through out the period while waiting to process or get your records. Even pregnant women have to go through this ordeal. To avoid being in long queues and standing, you will have to get to the hospital as early as 4 or 5 am when the OPD staff are not available. Again, it takes at least an hour if not hours to process your documents or get your existing records. In sum the OPDs are just chaotic.

While going through this at the OPD, toilet facilities are very unhygienic or you will have to pay to use a very dirty one. If you are unfortunate and you get to the hospital after 5 pm, then you have to endure because these toilet facilities are sometimes closed whether paid or free. Some hospitals even lock their toilet facilities at 3 pm.

In addition, some hospitals do not take or record patients' vitals before sending them to the consulting room.  Have you ever being to the consulting room and the Dr. ask of your weight and you have no idea? So without such information patients go to the consulting room only for the doctor to send them back to take their vitals. When they go back to the OPD, getting a nurse to take the vitals also becomes a problem.

Also, nurses in the government hospitals behave as if they are doing patients a favour. They shout at you at the least mistake. Woe betide you, they call your name and you don't respond immediately. They leave their post as they like without informing or reassuring the patients that they will be back.

In short going to the the government hospital in Ghana is like a punishment. As if being ill is not enough.

If you've ever been to a private hospital or clinic before, you'll agree with me that all these 'wahala' you go through at the government hospitals are non-existent.

Please share your experience.