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Emergency book
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Mar 9, 2010 at 8:52 pm #1584396
> Finally drove myself to Emergency. Soon as I got there, blood gushed out
> like a fountain — the counter, the floor — all red with my blood. They stitched
> me up in minutes — didn't even have to wait. I was happy — until the bill
> arrived — $1,000!!Been there, done that. (Honest.)
The nurse said 'Er yuk' – very professional.
The intern (slightly new) tried to sew up the artery without a tourniquet – total failure. "But we don't do tourniquets these days – risk of gangrene." Meanwhile I'm bleeding everywhere. I (*I*) had to put the tourniquet on my arm so she could sew it up. I hope she learnt something.Anyhow … the bill was $0. That's because we have a decent public health insurance/care system in Australia, unlike America. That's right: ER in Australia is FREE. Ambulance is FREE.
Cheers
Mar 9, 2010 at 10:50 pm #1584448Roger,
It isn't free. Someone is paying the people in the ER, the utilities, buying the equipment, etc.
:)
Mar 9, 2010 at 11:17 pm #1584453+1 on that, Nick. Often forgotten these days…..there is no "free".
Mar 9, 2010 at 11:27 pm #1584457Roger, two fingers on the appropriate pressure point would have stopped the blood also- the intern should have at least known that.
Nick- maybe not free in the truest sense- but available to everyone at a fair price (no more have and have not's), fair and equitable for all.
Mar 10, 2010 at 1:41 am #1584484> two fingers on the appropriate pressure point would have stopped the blood
True, very true. A tourniquet with my handkerchief on my upper arm was dead easy though, and a lot safer …> also- the intern should have at least known that.
TRUE – but she didn't.> not free in the truest sense- but available to everyone at a fair price
> (no more have and have not's), fair and equitable for all.
YES! And the cost is not as great as the Republicans would have you believe.Yes, it comes out of our taxes. Frankly, I think spending my taxes on health care is better than subsidising the oil companies and spending giga-dollars on overseas wars.
When it is 'free' like this, the medical staff in the hospitals focus on looking after me rather than wondering what they can charge me for.
Mar 10, 2010 at 1:45 am #1584487If this thread turns political, you might have to move it to Chaff.
–B.G.–Mar 10, 2010 at 2:05 am #1584490> That's right: ER in Australia is FREE. Ambulance is FREE.
Actually Roger, I think you'll find that Ambulance will slug you pretty well if you're not a member. Of course family membership runs around $114 (US$100ish) for a year.
Of course the ER isn't free. It costs taxpayers 1.5% of their wage. Of course this 1.5% pays not just for the ER, but the whole of the public health care system. It's not perfect but it's pretty bloody good.
(Disclaimer, it pays my wage too)
Mar 10, 2010 at 3:39 am #1584497Roger, it may have been free, but it sounds like you had to do half the work yourself ;)
Mar 10, 2010 at 4:49 am #1584504Yes, and was the torniquet yours? If so, homemade? Cuben, silk or specialized rubber? : )
Mar 10, 2010 at 9:11 am #1584579"I (*I*) had to put the tourniquet on my arm so she could sew it up."
That's the social part of socialized medicine. Everyone has to get involved in the treatment, including the patient. ;D
Mar 10, 2010 at 10:10 am #1584607.
Mar 10, 2010 at 10:56 am #1584625I agree:
A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine (Adventure Medical Kits) (Paperback)
Is an excellent resource. Deals a lot with improvised materials and wilderness specific concerns. I read it for fun.
Mar 10, 2010 at 1:21 pm #1584677Thanks mark! it doesn't however have to be 6×6 it can be smaller or a tad larger, and of course does not have to be 100 as well.
Mar 10, 2010 at 6:55 pm #1584829Anna, – sorry- didn't see your post.
Isaac – yeah, I figured you didn't care about the size as much, but I was thinking that the book – Wilderness And Travel Medicine- may have been the book you had and lost. (198 pgs, 4.25 x 6 x 0.5 inches and Weighs 5.00 oz)
In any event, it is an excellent and very practical resource. I actually got it reduce down to a 3×2 inch booklet that I carry in my first aid kit. the print is pretty small though. :-)
– Mark
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