93-year-old woman waits four and a half hours in A&E Gibraltar to see doctor

WHILST various politicians score points off each other concerning the problems or lack of them in the Gibraltar Health Authority, the reality is that at least one widow who was born and bred in Gibraltar, considers a four and a half hour wait to see an emergency doctor is unreasonable.

Having passed out at home, an ambulance was called by her family who live elsewhere in Gibraltar and she was rushed to St Bernard’s Hospital after having fallen and possibly injuring herself as well.

She was seen by nursing staff but it was a full four and a half hours before a doctor saw her and decided that she needed treatment before being allowed to return home several hours later.

Even in Britain with all of the criticism that the NHS receives, the target for review is four hours and in the majority of cases this is met but if you are a very elderly person, who has suffered a fall and is very aware of your own mortality it is not only unreasonable to be kept waiting so long but the delay allows the mind to invent all manner of negative scenarios.