Brickbat: Doctor on Call

Katarzyna Bialasiewicz / Dreamstime.com

Mac Banting saw a bicyclist lose control of his bike and hit a van just outside Bristol Royal Infirmary in England. Naturally, he ran into the hospital to seek help for the injured man. But he was told all the doctors were busy and he should call for an ambulance. The man later died from his injuries.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

For a doctor to set aside what he was doing to rush out to help an injured person who couldn't be bothered to queue up wouldn't be fair to his NHS patient who had waited ten months for a cancer diagnosis.

[Libertarian]

I think a similar scenario in the States would result in, at least, a couple nurses running outside to tend to the injured man. Can't wait until we have national health care like the UK!

[Agammamon]

But in the UK, nurses are 'professionals' who shouldn't be expected to do that sort of grunt work.

[Libertarian]

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust said: "We advise everyone to call 999 if an accident has taken place.

"This is to ensure that patients are treated safely by professionals with the right training and essential equipment to do so before they are brought to hospital.

"Releasing staff from our A&E may also put patients already in our care at risk."

1. Man #1 runs into a van
2. Man #2 runs into a hospital
3. Hospital is running out of excuses

[Microaggressor]

Procedures must be followed. How else do you expect them to figure out how to do their job? It's not like there's a profit motive that would provide any incentive to go above and beyond to serve the customer.

Turns out, if you want people literally dying in the streets, socialized medicine is the way to go.

[Princess Trigger]

Was it raining?

[Jerryskids]

I would have been tempted to smash a nurse in the face with a chair - see if they call an ambulance for that one.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

But at least no evil capitalist made a profit. Let's stay focused on the priorities, citizens!

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

It may have been a union territorial conflict. Procedures call for the ambulance union, and you wouldn't want those ER people intruding on their priority claims now would you?

[dantheserene]

"I'll tell you what the problem is, mate," said Majikthise, "demarcation, that's the problem!"
"We demand," yelled Vroomfondel, "that demarcation may or may not be the problem!"

"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"

[Brandybuck]

Nationalized health care. Is there anything it can't do?

[Krabappel]

Well it sounds like the British should be shooting MPs at soccer games because their health care policies are LITERALLY killing people.

*THIS IS INTERNET HYPERBOLE/SARCASM I AM NOT CALLING FOR ANYONE TO BE KILLED*

[Radioactive]

no balls huh?

[Robert]

I'm afraid this may have been the result of a person at the desk answering Qs in a machinelike way. You ask to send a doc outside? Of course they're not going to do that. You ask to send an EMT outside to bring the patient in, "Oh, well why didn't you say so? Sure, we can do that."

[pan fried wylie]

Kiosks.

[Dillinger]

sucks the fun out of the just a flesh wound gag

[Radioactive]

no, just sucks...

[Mahesh Raju]

You ask to send a doc outside? Of course they're not going to do that. Picsart for PC or Picsart for Windows