These are some of the funny/ridiculous phone conversations I had with patients' family/relative. VERY Singaporean indeed.
Case 1
Me: (introduces myself) Sorry to disturb you. I just need to let you know that Mdm X is fit for discharge.
Relative: Why you call me? Call her son leh.
Me: I did, but there was no response.
Relative: Aiyah..the son no use one lah. Married, got wife already all like that.
Me: Erm..I'll just need to find out if u'll be able to bring her back home today or tomorrow.
Relative: Can..but today cannot because my son and daughter-in-law coming to my house tonight for dinner. Tomorrow is ok. But you call the son again later and see if he can bring his mum back.
Me: Sure. I'll ring him in a while
Relative: Doctor, if I pick her up tomorrow ah, the bill how? I pay ah?
Me: I think it's best if you ring the ward later and speak to the nurse. They'll know better.
Relative: Ok ok...u call the son ah!
*rings patient's son*
Son: Hello!
Me: (introduces myself) Just calling to inform you that your mum is fit for discharge, so she can go home today.
Son:OH MY GOD...
Me: Is there a problem?
Son: Ya. I not free lah.
Me: Ok, then is tomorrow ok with you?
Son: Also not free..
Me: Then when is best for you?
Son: Actually ah, I'm always very busy. U ask her take taxi home herself lah.
Case 2
Me: (introduces myself) I'm calling to inform you that your mum has caught an infection which will need isolation, so I'll be transferring her to a single bedder.
Son: Ha?! Single bedder ah?! Expensive or not?
Me: The price is the same..
Son: What class ah?!
Me: The class remains the same, just that she has the whole room to herself.
Son: Okok..can can.
(geez..didn't even say a "How is my mum now?" throughout the whole conversation)
Case 3
Me: (introduces myself) I need to discuss with you abt the patient's home situation. I understand that there's some problems with caring for her in the house.
Son: Ya, difficult lah, because she keeps waking up in the night and wander around. And because she's so unsteady on her feet, she keeps falling down and I have to keep sending her to the hospital.
Me: Ok, so do you have any plans of how to cope with the problem?
Son: I thought of sending her to a home, but she is against it. You go and convince her lah. Then if she say yes, I'll put her in a home.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
sigh.. so much for filial piety... i always wonder how a son/daughter could have the soul to cast his/her parents aside, when the parents used to starve so that their son/daughter could have their food... maybe parents don't do that nowadays... i know mine did.
regardless of whether they starved for the children or not, it's still a duty of the child to take care of the parents.
Post a Comment