Down For A Few Days

Finally I am up after a few days of lying in bed. I was ill since Sunday night, with a raging fever, chest pain, feelings of nausea, body ache and back ache, with profuse perspiration. I am not the type who perspires, unlike my friends and brothers, who, after a vigorous game of sports or on a really hot day, they will start dripping buckets.

For me, I seldom perspire, even after a round of tennis in the hot sun. The most is I will feel a bit sticky due to the humidity, so if I actually perspire, it means I am really sick. Even after numerous showers during the day, I still perspire profusely, even now. It seems that my body temperature is messing up.

I could barely make it to see the doctor on Monday, being so weak and uncomfortable. I just managed to drag myself to the nearest clinic. The clinic is not covered under my company, so I was not able to get free treatment, thus I have to ask for the receipt and claim back from petty cash later on.

The doctor told me that the chest pain is due to heartburn (what heartburn? Not that I have high blood pressure or cholesterol, and I am surely not obese!), and the fever could be due to a viral infection. If I still do not get well after a few days, then I have to go for a dengue check. Hopefully I can go back to work as per normal from tomorrow onwards!

I was feeling so uncomfortable and weak on Monday morning, that I called the clinic which is covered under my company, and asked if the doctors go on house call. I told the nurse in charge that I have symptoms of chest pain, nausea, giddiness and fever. She said a house call will cost me $250, to which I said, I have not withdrew cash, so could I pay half in cash, and the rest by a cash cheque, or could I pay all by a cash cheque? She said no, it is cash on delivery, otherwise the doctor will not go.

Then I said I am covered by the company, can they just bill my company? She said have to ask permission from the Human Resource, get the approval by my superior, submit the approval letter then they can bill to the company. Right, so which means by the time I get my company's approval, I will either be dead or have fully recovered and no need for any house call!

Which makes me think, in a life and death situation, when the person is so sick and needs help urgently, is money and regulations more important than a person's life? No doubt clinics and hospitals are not charitable organisations, when a person is sick and they need to see a doctor, it is right to pay, but when a person is really feeling so uncomfortable and need treatment rather quickly, is the mode of payment really that important?

It is not as if I will not pay, but does it matter if I pay by cash or cheque or bill to my company? Why must there be a dispute over flouting of the rules and regulations set up by humans when a human needs help and only a medical professional is able to help him / her? At the frontline of a person's life, should not saving the person more important than following mere rules and regulations?

Which reminds me of a doctor show I watched. The cardiologist was called to save a person in an emergency, but he said he needed to get an approval whether he could perform the operation there and then, to which the Emergency Room consultant then said, "What I need is a doctor, not a rigid person who follows the rules strictly with no regards for a person's life". Well said!