Deaf man waits seven hours as Almeria hospital uses loudspeaker to call his turn

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The man had been waiting since 11 am

A DEAF man was forced to wait for almost seven hours in the emergency unit of Almeria’s Torrecardenas Hospital because his ticket number was called by loudspeaker.

Juan Jose Aguilera later posted a video online detailing his ordeal. In it he states that he made it crystal clear to hospital staff that he was deaf and required special notice.

He had arrived at the province’s largest hospital at 11am with a serious inflammation of his foot after a diabetes operation. At 5.30pm, with no indication as to when he would be seen by a doctor, he complained to staff.

An administrator explained that they’d repeatedly called out his number, admitting that no one was sent to locate him, despite his disability.

In his video, Aguilera shows his swollen foot and calls upon Andalucian regional president, Susana Diaz, to adapt hospitals for disabled people, and for hospital staff to come directly to patients, rather than shouting for them.

The video has been spread online by Marea Blanca Almeria, an organisation campaigning for the health rights of public patients across the province.

Aguilera, who has worked for Spain’s national disabled charity ONCE, according to his Facebook page, will soon appear on radio station Antenna 3 to discuss the incident. 

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