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On painkillers, while waiting for x-ray report 'for months'
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The Opposition says it is seriously concerned at the continuing delay in the production of x-ray reports in the Gibraltar Health Authority in respect of which it has been receiving representations.
In one particular instance, a patient who was in pain went to see his GP in the Primary Care Centre in September last year.
The doctor asked for a series of tests to be carried out including an x-ray. The patient in question went to have an x-ray in November.
SHOCKED
This month, the patient went to see his GP again in order to find out the result of the x-ray. He was shocked to learn that the doctor was not able to make a proper diagnosis because he had not received the report of the x-ray from St Bernard's Hospital. All that the doctor could do in this case is prescribe painkillers.
"It is totally unacceptable that the production of x-ray reports should take such a long time. The Opposition understands that there is a backlog at present which means that the more urgent cases are being dealt with first and the less urgent ones are put on the shelf. This means that the backlog continues to develop with the demand for x-rays as the less urgent cases have to wait," says a Press Release.
The Opposition has been advised that the delay is not in the actual taking of the x-ray, but in the production of the reports afterwards.
It poses a threat to patient care that people should have to wait for so long. In this particular case, the patient with the pain still does not know what is wrong with him three months after having gone to the doctor in September.
DEFICIENCY
Members of the public continue to bring to the attention of the Opposition this type of deficiency in patient care. The Government has argued in the past that the Opposition is inventing these complaints, but more and more members of the public, who have to go through the system, have seen for themselves that our comments are true.
The Government point to the office block that they converted into a hospital at a cost of millions of pounds as a great achievement. They like to issue press releases about day visits by the Chief Minister or the purchase of a new revolving door, as if these gimmicks were more important than the delivery of health care to the people of Gibraltar, says the Opposition.
They add: What good is a new revolving door or a state visit by the Chief Minister to patients who do not receive their x-ray reports on time?
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