Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash.

Cellulitis

My father-in-law had a small wound on right knee. That small wound worsen over the course of four weeks - it developed from a tiny nick into a big yet superficial slightly swollen opening. Since my father-in-law is diabetic, I am worrying if it will develop into diabetic gangrene. After my sister-in-law scared us that the wound is "very serious", I quickly pick up the task of fetching my father-in-law to the hospital where I am working to get the wound checked, despite no fever. The next morning around 5.30am, I dropped him at the emergency department. Bearing my name, he was immediately checked - all vital signs (BP, HR, serum glucose level, temperature) are normal and the wound is clean with defined edges. There is NO emergency here.

Long Walk

Needless to say, the case was not accepted in the emergency department. The doctor politely asked us to take a queue number at the primary care clinics, which is located at quite a distance away in another building. By the time we get there, there was already a long queue at 7am. Since I started to work at 8am, I had to bail early, leaving my father-in-law waiting for his turn. Unfortunately, upon the registration counter, the nurse gave me a call, saying that I should bring him to Staff Clinic, not the normal clinic. Great! Staff Clinic is located at the far end of the hospital, close to the staff parking. Therefore, this means that my father-in-law has to find his way to the other end of the hospital, which is also far from any restaurants and eateries. Spoiler: He made it, but ended with swollen ankles.

Bad Signboards

Along the walks, we realised that the only way of getting somewhere is by asking staff. Since there are way too many departments and units in the hospital, it is impossible to fit every location in the signboards. First, we need to know our destination is hosted in which building - Main, East, South, Trauma and Emergency, and Paediatric. Then, we need to figure out the twists and turns through corridors and tunnels. Along the search, I can guarantee you to lost your direction halfway.

Solution

I would like to suggest MallDash to include hospitals and any indoor facilities. Otherwise, I think hospital management needs to figure out the better way of organising locations and directing with better signboards.

Salam sejahtera and keep writing.