A short visit to shitty Victoria (Candos) Public Hospital

Candos hospital

So, I just came back from Candos Hospital after driving a patient with minor pains for some medical assistance. Here’s a small report :

  1. Card registration officer has been talking on his mobile phone using earpiece for at least 10mins while it has been clearly written on his own desk that mobile phones and earpieces are prohibited.
  2. A kid has vomited in the main hall in the presence of medical staff and nothing has been cleaned during the time I was there. I’m hereby talking about a 20 mins time period.
  3. A ‘infirmier’ in the treatment room has been blowing soap bubbles ( just like kids do, with the toys). No need to say that the soap bubbles were scattered all over that room including the equipment.
  4. The doctor who attended the patient did not even look at the latter and prescribed the medicines.

Wow. I’m glad that I’m covered by a medical insurance that allows me to seek PROFESSIONAL medical services in private clinics and private hospitals but I’m sorry for all those who need to rely on the public health sector. It is unfortunate that these same government servants ( doctors and medical staff) would have been behaving completely differently in case they were in the private sector.

If anyone needs precise details, feel free to get in touch. Day & time of visit : Tuesday 29th December 2015, around 9pm. I’m personally not interested to write an official complaint but if that situation prevailed in a life threatening case, I would have definitely taken this more seriously, including shooting some pics and videos.

I thought that my previous article was going to be the last one. Here goes my wishes again :

Happy New Year!

14 thoughts on “A short visit to shitty Victoria (Candos) Public Hospital”

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  1. Sad to say that this is the kind of reports I get from my family members who go there for treatment. I have often said that I considered the place as a “mouroir” due to the bad service. A member of my family who has experience of medical treatment in Europe ended up in arguments with doctors there due to bad service. The organization there is total crap and the indifference of the staff blatant. If you often listen to Radio1 you are bound to hear complaints and testimonies given to the radio talk show which sometimes end-up with phone calls to the Health Minister. However, nothing seems to change because of the mentality. No way I would go there for treatment.

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  2. I think Mike said it all, there is total indifference and unprofessional manners that goes along with public hospital. I think the fault goes to the general course to be a nurse (male or female) as those who engage in such professional path do so “pou gagne ene travail” and have little or no genuine interest in health care. Those who ever experienced medical treatments in private hospitals or even abroad can note the approach and organizations of those institutions…sadly those who cannot pay for such services are doomed to rely on public hospitals. What is shocking is that in 2015 we still have long waiting time, old-fashioned hand written records (Cyber Island they say…), no numerical dossier for each patient in case you change doctor, no fast blood test within hours, rooms with multiples beds (in Europe I’ve never seen room with more than 2 beds), no wifi connections whatsoever…
    Having said that, I do think there exist medical professionals who have a keen interest in the well being of Mauritians 🙂 And my thoughts are with those who are going to work tonight while others will be celebrating with their families and friends.

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    1. wifi in hospital? Do you think this is an entertainment centre?
      Long waiting time has nothing much to do with being modern but more with lack of resources.

      I also think they make you wait on purpose. Imagine you go to A&E and get seen and treated within 5 minutes. Great service! Next time you get a small bobo, you will rush there again. If everyone does that, the service would collapse under the strain. Now imagine you have to wait 2 hours to be seen. Next time you will think twice before going and will even try to avoid going to A&E, as if the case with most people. That way, fewer people use the emergency services or the hospital in general and less money and resources need be spent.

      I’m thinking that way because I recently went to A&E. It was very quiet at that time and I saw the staff sitting behind desks, not doing much or chatting among them but I still had to wait a long time.

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  3. off-topic: went to a bar with a friend last Saturday in REUNION island and got some trouble at the exit with the security of the bar. We got hit with less than minor injuries (and we did not fight back – that must be obvious for people who know me ) and had to go at hospital to check if there were no internal wounds.

    1. Police did not have the write to take our statement because we had alcohol in our blood – if you get beaten up, they don’t care
    2. Hospital had two people working + administrative officer. There were no legal doctor to produce a legal statement for the police, that person was on holidays. Getting the consultation didn’t serve any purpose. We asked for a taxi and the administrative officer when asked politely on the second time if she could contact back the taxi, who was not coming at all, the officer replied rudely that she was not a taxi service.

    My point is simple: things could have been worse and it’s not only in Mauritius that such things happen

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      1. It’s the 8th country I visit and it’s the first time someone ever hit me in my adult life, I’ll remember that one.

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  4. I’m sorry buddy but even in France or UK, there are terrible doctors. In the NHS they make foreigners pay Rs2500 (£50- £60) even without orescribing anybting and most of the doctors come from Pakistan or India. They are often incompetent ones that failed to make a living in their original countries as the competition is too high. Whenever you get prescribed meds, you have to pay Rs 400 (£8) even if the medicine itself is’t worth a quid. In France, the specialists are also pretty average. The GPs and dentists are top notch though, unlike in the UK. In University Hospitals(Centre Hospitalo-universitaire) and any public hosputal in a University town, however, they use you as a test-subject for the medical students. I am such a student and I know how often my fellow peers miss an injection or make you go through unnecessary procedures due to our lack of experience. Here you’re having a free service and only paying a flat 15% tax. You should be grateful. Either you pay huge 40%+ taxes and see nearly half of your salary going away or you get free healthcare. I have dozens of American friends that went broke because of healthcare costs and would kill to get a system like in Mauritius. Imagine having to pay Rs30, 000 because you called SAMU after seeing someone faint… That’s the reality in the ‘most developed’ country of the world.

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    1. Hi.
      Thanks for sharing these information. Indeed, I heard similar stories explaining how health care works in other countries. But why should we always compare the service with other countries? It isn’t because other countries are worst that we should accept what happens in our public hospitals.

      I truly believe that the Mauritian health system is already a good one (as you explained) but there are really good chances of making it the best if the government uses the right policy and has the determination of raising the bar even higher.

      Cheers!

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