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Quick update on Chinos.

His Doctor was supposed to see him yesterday, but saw him only briefly to tell him he'd see him tomorrow (i.e today). Today, the Dr said he'd see him in a day or two! So, currently Chinos is not really getting any answers as to when they'll let him out or how the healing is progressing which must be frustrating.

Jannet spoke to him earlier, he's still upbeat but almost climbing the walls to get out and go home. Visiting hours are only 2 hours a day (10am to midday), there is no TV and he's in a room with 5 other severely sick people wheezing, coughing, choking and farting.

Hopefully he'll be able to go home soon.

 

All my previous experiences have been with private hospitals where people have their own rooms and visiting hours are much more liberal. 24/7 if the patient is healthy enough to receive visitors.

The public hospital Chinos is in seems more like a prison than a hospital to me. I think they also treat some mentally unstable patients but overall it is a general hospital. Chinos had to give up his trouser belt on admittance and also has no pillow to sleep on, just a thin towel. Jannet wanted to bring him a pillow but was told it wasnt allowed. Some of the bed spaces have broken curtains with rusty curtain hooks, so there is little privacy - although Chinos seems to have got the best of the bunch and his curtains are only half hanging off.

We first visited on Sunday, there was a queue of about 80 people that took about 30 minutes to process.

Security guards ask you which room you are visiting and hold your id while you visit. Only one person per patient is allowed, and no children are permitted. If someone is already there you have to wait for them to leave before they let the next person in. All bags are searched on entry, although we did manage to smuggle some chocolate in for him.

I didnt take any id with me, so they weren't going to let me in. Jannet spun a story about how I had flown in from England especially and they let me visit using her id - but a security guard accompanied me and when my 20 minutes were up he told (didnt ask) me to leave.

The security guard even told Jannet her dress was too short and to wear something longer that covered her legs more next time - her dress was above the knee but only by an inch or two.

No hospitals are fun, but this one is about as least fun as you can imagine. For someone like Chinos who spends his days partying with us all on the cruise it must be close to torture. It's important we can try make his ordeal as pleasant as we can.