I have a lot to say, but I do not know where to start. It must have been a temporary thing. Good is good, so I tried to forget it and move on, but seeing that the reputation is all similar, I guess this is just how they have always been? For the sake of the public good, I should leave a review.
First of all, the doctor’s skill is good. People who do not care about anything else and just want good results, with no attention to other issues, can go here. My mom’s results were fairly good, but she still gets depressed whenever she remembers going to this hospital. Every time I see that, I get furious. So if you care even a little about service, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere.
* From here on, the content is very long and rambling *
1. My first impression, as I detailed in the consultation review, was that it was so cold it felt like, what kind of place is this? but I only put down the deposit because I was only looking at the doctor. Up to that point, I had not sensed any huge problem.
2. On the day of surgery, we arrived 20 minutes earlier than the reservation time. It seemed there were a lot of same-day surgery patients, because there were so many people. Even when the reservation time came, there were no instructions or any action taken.
After waiting about 30 minutes, maybe longer, we were hurriedly moved to the consultation room. They opened the guide sheet and read it quickly and mechanically, tracing along with a pen. When my mom asked questions here and there, the manager in charge frowned. I guess they were annoyed because they were interrupted. I was thinking, what is this? She was not asking irrelevant questions. Could she not ask related questions during the explanation of the surgery process and side effects, and while signing the consent forms? Seeing that frowning forehead made me worried. I stopped her, saying let us just listen to the explanation for a moment, because I was afraid we might be treated badly if we irritated them before surgery.
They kept reading on, and my mom, noticing the mood, cautiously raised her right hand a little and asked something like, 'Um... but... my work environment is...' again. It was, again, the right moment to ask a question, but the manager suddenly cut her off and the answer was ridiculous.
"Ma'am!! We are running quite a bit behind schedule right now, so we are going to move things along a little faster!!"
lolololololololololol At that moment, the vulgar words really came right up to my throat, and I thought, fine, I am just going to say no and walk out.
Delayed? Now?? We were late?? When they kept emphasizing several times that we absolutely had to arrive on time, when did they explain even a little about why they were late themselves? And where were they venting their anger, on whom, and for what reason? Is this the amazing system here???
Even during the consultation, they would faintly get irritated if you asked too many questions, saying you could get detailed explanations again on the day of surgery, but then on the day itself they did not let you say anything at all.
Oh, for reference, the manager from the consultation and the one on the day of surgery were different people.
It is not like my mom came here to do a 1.5 million won vow of silence. Honestly, if it had been my surgery and I were alone, I would have started a fight right then. The angry faces of the people at the front desk from day one suddenly came back to me.
My mom sensed my anger and got anxious that I might cancel the surgery and go home. I guess it was even more so because it was a day she had been looking forward to for years. Seeing her like that, I honestly could not behave however I wanted, so I really had to force myself to endure it. Then I said, as if the manager could hear me:
"Mom, since the doctor is busy, let us hear all the explanations first and ask questions afterward~"
After that, they continued again as if satisfied.
But lololol what, is this a National Assembly speech? Do we have to listen to everything in one go and then get a separate question time? Thinking about it again, it is ridiculous. How many people among Koreans in their 60s can remember five or six questions in their head while listening, organize them, and then ask them later? What is amazing is that after reading everything they needed to read, they just walked out saying we should go to the operating room.
This was the story up until just before surgery..^^
If anyone from the hospital is reading this and thinks it might be about them, please reflect a bit. My mother still blames herself, thinking she acted stupid and frustratingly. She was always a very bright person, but ever since then, even when she goes to places with young female staff, she gets intimidated and cannot even order coffee easily. You treat other people’s parents like that, but surely you would not want your own parents to be treated that way somewhere else, right? I would not dare say I hope you get exactly the same treatment back, but I do hope you look back on this, along with other reviews including mine.
3. During the surgery, we had to wait in the lobby, and after it ended we could go to the recovery room. Even then, the desk only said, 'You will go up to the recovery room upstairs,' so I wandered around for ages. If they said upstairs, then someone should guide you upstairs, or at least tell you which recovery room to go to... I ended up wandering around in front of many doors. I went back downstairs and said I could not find it, and they just told me to go back up again. Well, what else can you do? If they say go up, you go up. I looked around here and there on my own and even stepped one foot into the entrance of the operating room while they were still doing surgery before coming back out. Wow, except for the doctor, this place is a total mess.
4. In the recovery room, my mom was lying half-reclined in a funny and uncomfortable position, and when I asked who had helped her, she said she had gone in alone and barely managed to lie down. She also complained of dizziness. But at that point the anesthesia had not fully worn off, so I only half believe this part. When I had surgery at another hospital for a different area, the guardian waited in the recovery room, the patient was supported by a nurse to move there, her condition was checked, and the doctor also came in to explain the surgery results... Seeing her sitting there alone like a shoe that had been accidentally dropped made me dislike it a bit even then.
She wanted to go home right away, so I helped her down. There are many stairs, so you have to be careful. There were plenty of people walking down on their own, but my mom seems to be on the vulnerable side.
5. Surprisingly, my anger did not end there. My mom stumbled down, drawing everyone’s attention in the lobby, and collapsed onto the nearest sofa. She seemed especially dizzy, so I told her to sit for a bit and went to the desk alone. But if they had been watching the whole situation lololol Would they not have called out, 'Ms. [Name], please come over here!!' My mom tried to respond to the call and stood up unsteadily, unable to support her own body, while the manager or employee just stood there staring like they were watching a show. By then I was not even angry anymore, just stunned, so I gave up. I went back and helped her over because I wanted to know what incredible thing they had called her over for. It was about post-op instructions, medication, swelling, and the next visit date.
What I am really curious about is:
1. Is this something that cannot be conveyed to the guardian? 2. Was it really necessary to call over someone who could not even walk by themselves and tell them immediately? Could they not have given 5 to 10 minutes to settle down first? 3. If it was that urgent, could they not have come over themselves?
That is how the surgery day ended. Honestly, even one star for staff friendliness feels too generous and makes me sick. On the intermediate visit, my older brother went with her, and he said they were kind. So I ended up thinking I was just being overly sensitive and let it go.
Later, while setting a date for the final check-up, they showed a bit of sharpness again, but after everything that had happened, it was like air to the mother-daughter pair who had been hardened by it. The doctor answered all sorts of questions sincerely and explained things at our level, which I appreciated.
Still, I have absolutely no intention of going back, and if I could return to the past, I would stop myself even if it meant grabbing myself by the collar and smacking both cheeks. Looking back, what I regret most is how I responded, and that looks like the biggest mistake. I said it was for my mom, who dislikes conflict and dispute, but in the end I was just a bystander.