“I arrived at 11pm that night and waited for about four hours for someone to attend to me,” a frustrated Niko said.
Niko said that he was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday night when his condition worsened.
"They put me on this bed, I was in pain and complaining but I was just told to wait. There were other patients also complaining, some of them were sleeping on the floor,” Niko said, visibly upset at what he went through.
"I was sleeping on on the bed feeling hopeless, but then suddenly they told me to get up from that bed to sit on a chair, another person was rushed in, so I moved and sat on a chair for a few more hours.”
He says that the hospital should have basic standard of service, to accommodate patients that come in, especially the emergency ward. He said that what he encountered that night was very sad, and says that people deserve better treatment, even a mat to lay on would make a difference.
"It is very sad to see people sleeping with drips in their hands outside the outpatient in an open space, and others lying on the bare floor with no proper beddings,” Niko said.
A health worker spoken to says that the emergency ward should be for emergency cases only. She says that what they find is that many are using the emergency ward as a last resort – which is dangerous.
“Many patients try other methods first like custom medicine and when they feel really sick that is when they come to the hospital.
“And we find that some of them also mix up their medications, so they continue with those custom medications while also taking prescribed medications, which can be fatal.”
She says the other problem is that many patients do not make full use of the various clinics throughout Honiara. She says a lot of the treatment they receive at the hospital is also available at the various clinics.
“If the clinics feel that patients should undergo further tests or treatment than that is when the refer you to the main hospital.”
Niko’s test returned that afternoon – he tested positive for malaria and is now undergoing treatment.