Kos Town Hospital
Discussion
Just been for a week away with the family at the Mark Warner resort in Kos but about 3 days in, I woke with a start at around 1am with my heart beat going nuts. It was speeding up and slowing down and missing beats and all the while I am trying to stay calm, especially as I had my 2 young children in the room with me.
This was all very worrying as I had had a heart attack just over 2 years ago but being in a foreign country, especially a small island, I was very concerned on how I was going to get this dealt with.
I woke my wife who was in the other room with my daughter, who confirmed that my pulse was all over the place.
She was very calm and got the kids up and all of us over to the resort reception.
The night manager suggested that we get a taxi to Kos Town where the only hospital is, over 30 km away.
He said that it was unlikely to be able to get an ambulance but he would try.........
The ambulance arrived about 40 mins later. (What would you do in an emergency?)
The crew was basically a driver and a porter so they put me on a wheel chair then placed me inside the ramshackle ambulance. The porter sat on the stretcher and held my chair in order to stop it rolling around as we went around corners.
By this time my heart beat had normalised and I was tempted to jump out the back door and walk back.
They got me to the hospital which was very third world yet I was seen at once by a doctor who spoke reasonable English and had blood tests and an ECG. A few staff wondered in at this point as I must of been an interesting highlight of their shift.
The ECG was fine but he wanted to do a further blood test around 7am to check for heart attack enzymes so I was told that I would be staying the night.
I was led to a room not big enough for 2 beds, although there were 2 beds in it, one occupied by what looked like a dead old lady.
I lay on my bed with a threadbare blanket and spent the rest of the night fighting off mossies
There was also the screaming of a cat on heat just outside the room. WTF!
The dead lady started snoring just to add to my misery and then got up to use the en-suite bog (I had to use it later and it was in a terrible state) where I heard everything.
Fek! I felt miserable.
No one came in to check on us all night but true to the Doc's word a nurse came in at 7am and took more bloods and then the same Doc returned at 9am and told me that the results were negative and that I could go.
Then I was in a town I did not know but did find a bus to take me all over Kos and finally back to near my resort. Serves me right for saying, only the day before, that I did not want to just stay in the resort and that I felt that I should be out seeing the island.
Moral of this rambling story is just don't get ill or injured in Kos, especially as the Greek economy obviously has no money for public services and much that we moan about the NHS, I have never waited more than 10 mins for an ambulance.
It was a bit of an eye opener I can tell you and gawd knows what that hospital is like at the height of the holiday season full of tourists that have fallen off mopeds and quads.
This was all very worrying as I had had a heart attack just over 2 years ago but being in a foreign country, especially a small island, I was very concerned on how I was going to get this dealt with.
I woke my wife who was in the other room with my daughter, who confirmed that my pulse was all over the place.
She was very calm and got the kids up and all of us over to the resort reception.
The night manager suggested that we get a taxi to Kos Town where the only hospital is, over 30 km away.
He said that it was unlikely to be able to get an ambulance but he would try.........
The ambulance arrived about 40 mins later. (What would you do in an emergency?)
The crew was basically a driver and a porter so they put me on a wheel chair then placed me inside the ramshackle ambulance. The porter sat on the stretcher and held my chair in order to stop it rolling around as we went around corners.
By this time my heart beat had normalised and I was tempted to jump out the back door and walk back.
They got me to the hospital which was very third world yet I was seen at once by a doctor who spoke reasonable English and had blood tests and an ECG. A few staff wondered in at this point as I must of been an interesting highlight of their shift.
The ECG was fine but he wanted to do a further blood test around 7am to check for heart attack enzymes so I was told that I would be staying the night.
I was led to a room not big enough for 2 beds, although there were 2 beds in it, one occupied by what looked like a dead old lady.
I lay on my bed with a threadbare blanket and spent the rest of the night fighting off mossies
There was also the screaming of a cat on heat just outside the room. WTF!
The dead lady started snoring just to add to my misery and then got up to use the en-suite bog (I had to use it later and it was in a terrible state) where I heard everything.
Fek! I felt miserable.
No one came in to check on us all night but true to the Doc's word a nurse came in at 7am and took more bloods and then the same Doc returned at 9am and told me that the results were negative and that I could go.
Then I was in a town I did not know but did find a bus to take me all over Kos and finally back to near my resort. Serves me right for saying, only the day before, that I did not want to just stay in the resort and that I felt that I should be out seeing the island.
Moral of this rambling story is just don't get ill or injured in Kos, especially as the Greek economy obviously has no money for public services and much that we moan about the NHS, I have never waited more than 10 mins for an ambulance.
It was a bit of an eye opener I can tell you and gawd knows what that hospital is like at the height of the holiday season full of tourists that have fallen off mopeds and quads.
Much as folk knock the NHS, the majority of the time it does an excellent job.
I know I've got somewhat of a vested interested working for them, but bear in mind part of my day job is taking cash off foreigners for using the NHS.
There's far more with praise for the NHS than criticism from them.
Even places you would expect to be critical, like Canada, Oz and the USA.
Glad you're ok OP! Maybe best go and see the GP for a check up when you're home.
I know I've got somewhat of a vested interested working for them, but bear in mind part of my day job is taking cash off foreigners for using the NHS.
There's far more with praise for the NHS than criticism from them.
Even places you would expect to be critical, like Canada, Oz and the USA.
Glad you're ok OP! Maybe best go and see the GP for a check up when you're home.
BigAlinEmbra said:
Much as folk knock the NHS, the majority of the time it does an excellent job.
I know I've got somewhat of a vested interested working for them, but bear in mind part of my day job is taking cash off foreigners for using the NHS.
There's far more with praise for the NHS than criticism from them.
Even places you would expect to be critical, like Canada, Oz and the USA.
Glad you're ok OP! Maybe best go and see the GP for a check up when you're home.
Thanks and I will most certainly do. CheersI know I've got somewhat of a vested interested working for them, but bear in mind part of my day job is taking cash off foreigners for using the NHS.
There's far more with praise for the NHS than criticism from them.
Even places you would expect to be critical, like Canada, Oz and the USA.
Glad you're ok OP! Maybe best go and see the GP for a check up when you're home.
was in the eastern algarve last month and the local 'ambulances' parked in the 'main' square. They were a bit like a british hearse but in white...after hearing someone moaning about southern european standards on the radio the other year it seems they are a lift and shift service like the uk ambo service used to be.
visited 2 'private' canarian hospitals in the last few years and they were pretty good as long as you had the wonga before the insurance paid. E111 was never accepted
visited 2 'private' canarian hospitals in the last few years and they were pretty good as long as you had the wonga before the insurance paid. E111 was never accepted
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