This part really gets me:
They cite the difficulties of medical transfer as one of the most persistent conflicts they face in fulfilling their duty of care to their patients. Making a difficult situation worse, according to the doctors, are widespread problems of data management at International Health and Medical Services, the private contractor that supplies doctors to the island.
In so many ways this is not right.
Data management problem? Fix it.
Private contractor (ugh, that's a surprise) not cutting it? Change them or bring the job in-house and do it right.
If it's a persistent problem, why not have a persistent solution to match it? If transferring patients is difficult, do a better job of bringing doctors to them. Minimise the problem and transfer distance with better on-site facilities or move the site to the mainland.
No decent human being would tolerate family or friends being treated like this. Being family or friend of someone else doesn't make it better somehow.
The IHMS website has this on the front page:
International Health and Medical Services manages health systems on behalf of governments and international organisations. We provide healthcare in both remote and urban settings, delivering a consistent standard of care even in physically and culturally challenging environments.
If their standard of care is consistent, then I would assume that their operations elsewhere are equally as shitty. I'm sure that assumption is wrong, because no one here would accept being treated so poorly.
I think that is quite often it. And with a quip like that you could be working in NY in no time![]()
I think so too. No one who doesn't support whatever foul thing was said would ever defend anything more than their right to say it.
One evening I was at the Coolibah in Merrylands, which is not known for having the best clientele by any stretch. The staff were great though. This one bloke was being smart to security and was driven off the property by one of them. He decided to continue being smart and informed this mountain of a man that he couldn't do anything as he was no longer standing on the property (he was right next to it to really drive it home). How does the saying go? "A smart mouth will get a fat lip".
There was an almighty CRACK that echoed through the parking lot as this smartarse was slapped across the face. He was then pushed to the ground and held there, by which I would assume was some variety of pressure point. I heard a cry of terror, "Mark, HELP ME! MARK!" as he called out to his mate standing not far behind him. I saw Mark take a step forward and then immediately withdraw it, clearly taking a second, wiser thought.
Sure, you can say whatever you want. You'll get what's coming to you when you do, it might not happen immediately like Mark's mate, but it's coming.
I'll never forget the night that happened, because it's hilarious. The sound of that slap was amazing and rivals the crack of the biggest punch I have ever seen thrown (by a mate of mine in high school). Myself and those present still imitate his fearsome cry to this day with regularity. I will note that he was told as he was held on the ground something along the lines of "it was just a little slap mate, what's wrong with you?"