8950 Health....? Not So Good....

How strange to read that article after so many here have heaped so much praise on Italian hospitals and healthcare.

I particularly liked the bit where it says that hospital managers in Palermo closed wards and operating theatres after the inspectors found problems. If faults [I]that[/I] serious exist, one must wonder if the "managers" ever bother to get out from behind their desks and have look around the place they're in charge of.

However, it seems to me that a lot of the article [I]could[/I] be journalism of the sort one regularly sees in the UK when the NHS is being reported on: saying that “hygiene and health deficiencies” exist in a particular hospital could mean anything from the inspectors witnessing rats running around in the operating theatres and finding cockroaches in the food given to patients, to them discovering a health and safety poster required by law was missing or seeing a member of kitchen staff not wearing a hairnet while loading a dishwasher.

I know there are people who have not been happy with the care they received under the UK NHS, but my experience and that of almost everyone I know has generally been very positive. I wouldn't be at all surprised if similar happens in Italy.

Al

Sounds a lot like the media reporting of hospitals in the UK.

I'm one of those who have had good experiences of the hospitals here in Puglia. And hope that it will continue as Bob is probably going to have to have surgery for his back problems! We've discovered that to go for the key-hole (laser, non-invasive, minimal recovery time) surgery in the UK as a private patient the cost will be £14500.00. Ouch! But yesteday his chiropractor told him that the same surgery is available here in Lecce, whether he will get it via NHS remains to be seen! Also I wonder how the price to go private will compate with UK?

This is not new news in Italy at all - the state of hospitals is a story that has been running here for quite some time. The programme "Striscia la notizia" regularly feature stories and video footage of the state of some of the hospitals. I have been in hospital here and had a totally satisfactory experience - although the hospital I was in was only one year old. However my roommate did tell me how unpleasant the previous hospital had been.

Sorry to hear about the health problems, TB. The cost of going private in Italy would be quite similar to the UK, perhaps a bit less but not more than 20%, I am using as a guide Spanish costs which seem similar to the Italian ones as far as private health is concerned. Another important point is that it is possible that the equipment and medical staff in a public hospital in Puglia may be better than what you could get in a private clinic. Check what is available locally and you may get a pleasant surprise. Good luck!

This is a strange report. on the 2 occasions I have been in hospital, I found them extremely clean and very well run.
The ward I was on, had a cleaner working full time, cleaning everything including tops of doors, when a patient left, they not only stripped the bed, but disinfected the frame etc.
I did speak to the doctors and staff about the many outbreaks of MRSA etc in the UK, and they just could not understand how this happens.
But even our neighbors take an interest in the state of the hospitals. If you mention that you have been in hospital, they always want to know, which one, what was the name of the doctor, was he/she any good.
I have told family and friends, that should they need medical attention, to drag themselves to Stansted and get on a flight.

The report seems to target a specific number of hospitals, only.

[quote]And hope that it will continue as Bob is probably going to have to have surgery for his back problems! [/quote]

Hi TB,

I read your note with some alarm. Although I do not know your husband's specific problems, most of the data about back surgery a few years out shows that the patient would have been just as well off without it. My husband had back surgery for a herniated disk about 14 years ago and had a relapse about 5 years ago and was all ready to have another surgery. Prior to his first surgery, he had been to physical therapists, chiropractors and osteopaths. When we had a second opinion from a physiatrist before a second surgery (a doctor who is a specialist in physical and rehabilitative medicine) she said it was too late to know whether or not the first surgery was warranted but that he would be crazy to have another. He went to her physical therapists for 6 months along with having the doctor do trigger point injections once a week and was then totally better. She had specialized in lower backs for most of her career and said in all of that time she only sent 2 patients to surgery and that in retrospect she thought she could have helped them as well. We know of many people who have had back surgery and it is not a panacea. The difficulty is in finding a GOOD physiatrist. My husband's is Russian and went to medical school in Russia before coming to the States and doing the rest of her training and work here.

Lisa

[quote=Gala Placidia;84322]Sorry to hear about the health problems, TB. The cost of going private in Italy would be quite similar to the UK, perhaps a bit less but not more than 20%, I am using as a guide Spanish costs which seem similar to the Italian ones as far as private health is concerned. Another important point is that it is possible that the equipment and medical staff in a public hospital in Puglia may be better than what you could get in a private clinic. Check what is available locally and you may get a pleasant surprise. Good luck! [/quote]

Thanks Gala. Bob spoke with his chiropractor again yesterday and it seems that the surgeon who carries out laser surgery in Lecce only works in the public hospitals, no options to go private.

[quote=Lisa C.;84404]Hi TB,
I read your note with some alarm. Although I do not know your husband's specific problems, most of the data about back surgery a few years out shows that the patient would have been just as well off without it. My husband had back surgery for a herniated disk about 14 years ago and had a relapse about 5 years ago and was all ready to have another surgery. Prior to his first surgery, he had been to physical therapists, chiropractors and osteopaths. When we had a second opinion from a physiatrist before a second surgery (a doctor who is a specialist in physical and rehabilitative medicine) she said it was too late to know whether or not the first surgery was warranted but that he would be crazy to have another. He went to her physical therapists for 6 months along with having the doctor do trigger point injections once a week and was then totally better. She had specialized in lower backs for most of her career and said in all of that time she only sent 2 patients to surgery and that in retrospect she thought she could have helped them as well. We know of many people who have had back surgery and it is not a panacea. The difficulty is in finding a GOOD physiatrist. My husband's is Russian and went to medical school in Russia before coming to the States and doing the rest of her training and work here.
Lisa[/quote]

Umh, Bob has had back pain for years (two prolapsed discs) , probably originating from a motor cycle injury (he used to race and has many old injuries). He's been seeing an american chiropractor here for a year now and the chiropractor seems to think he does need surgery. Not sure if pysiatrists can be found here in Puglia, to be honest I have never heard of them before. We are waiting an appointment for a resonance scan - will have to see what the specialist recommends then. At the moment he can't stand for long and can't walk much.

We have a friend who had traditional surgery for a similar problem a few years ago and he is very happy with the result. In any case we can only work with what the specialist advises and with what is available.

TB Do you know of this centre in Congleton? Somewhere recommended to us a few years ago.
[url=http://www.spinal-foundation.org/]The Spinal Foundation: Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Centre[/url]
If nothing else, the website is full of very useful information.

Hi Cassini.
Yes, it's the Spinal Foundation we are talking to in UK. They have given us a price of £14500 for the operation, the english surgeon also operates in France close to where my mum lives. We have asked them for a euro price in France, may be cheaper. My mum had cateracts removed in France at half the UK private cost so here's hoping. In the meanwhile we will continue with the Italian options and hope to get some results soon.

An operation of the back, although it is sort of routine nowadays, may involve a long convalescence and the need for rehabilitation and physiotherapy. I would say that you would be better off having the procedure done near your home or wherever you have family or friends to lend a hand and where travelling is not an issue. A cataracts operation is day surgery only and the patient recovers very quickly. No problems if the procedure takes place in another country.
Get all the information you can regarding the procedure and what you can expect regarding recovery, etc.
I am worried that you may find it difficult to cope if you are in another country, far from home.

The laser keyhole surgery is non-invasive and is also day surgery within minimal recovery time, that's why we are trying to go that way rather than traditional surgery.

Great to hear, TB. That makes things easier.

[quote]Not sure if pysiatrists can be found here in Puglia, to be honest I have never heard of them before. We are waiting an appointment for a resonance scan - will have to see what the specialist recommends then. At the moment he can't stand for long and can't walk much. [/quote]

HI TB,

Unfortunately, many people do not know about physiatrists. You can google it and find out more. My mother turned us on to them as she has a chronic injury due to a boating accident. I believe it is a relatively new field. One of the founders, Dr. Nagler of Austria, is a pioneer in the field and practiced in New York until his recent retirement. Anyway, my husband also had terrible pain and couldn't sit or sleep which got progressively over several years. Just wanted to give you another option to think about. Good luck with whatever you do.

Lisa