1/5 Alina M. 1 year ago on Google • 23 reviews
I
was
supposed
to
have
surgery
in
this
clinic
on
10/17/22.
I
arrived
around
10:30
at
the
O.R
floor,
4th
floor
in
the
building,
and
no
one
was
there.
The
reception
desk
was
dark
with
zero
employees.
While
I
sat
waiting
for
someone
to
show
up
I
looked
at
my
paperwork
handed
to
me
at
check-in,
when
I
realized
they
had
me
as
a
Colombian
citizen
born
in
Barranquilla.
I'm
a
U.S
citizen.
The
address,
phone
number,
and
emergency
contact
provided
by
me
earlier
had
been
overlooked
and
ignored.
I
went
downstairs
and
corrected
it.
Finally,
the
nurse
showed
up;
she
was
a
nice
lady.
There
isn't
anything
negative
to
say
about
her.
Around
3:30
a
nurse
assistant
brings
a
wheelchair
and
wheels
me
into
the
OR.
My
surgeon,
Dr.
Carlos
Cala
was
running
late,
she
said.
The
O.R
had
a
two
way-in,
bidirectional,
restaurant
style,
swing
door
with
small
windows.
At
his
point
I
had
not
been
sedated,
medicated,
nor
given
a
relaxant
to
prepared
me
for
the
cultural
shock
I
was
about
to
experience.
There
was,
right
in
the
middle
of
the
room,
an
overwhelming
sight
of
a
surgical
bed
dressed
in
brown
sheets
ready
for
a
bloodbath;
and
a
dented,
shallow
bucket,
right
at
my
feet.
The
pan
was
wide
enough
for
my
feet
to
fit
in.
The
N.A
explained
to
me
that
she
was
going
to
bathe
me
with
antiseptics
and
soap
before
surgery.
I
followed
her
with
my
gaze,
noticing
a
disturbing
sight
of
two
soiled,
worn
out,
filthy,
and
grotty,
styrofoam
coolers.
There
they
kept
the
antiseptic
and
soap
warm
that
she
was
about
to
use
on
me.
She
asked
me
to
stand
in
the
pan
facing
the
door
and
those
swinging
doors
started
to
open
and
close
while
medical
staff
came
in
and
out.
I
was
naked
and
a
swing
away
to
be
seen
by
everyone
sitting
at
the
desk
just
outside
the
OR
(recovery
area).
Then,
as
I’m
looking
around
in
dismay,
I
spotted
a
recording
video
camera
IN
the
OR.
All
the
feelings
of
humiliation,
indignity,
disrespect,
and
violation
of
privacy
took
over
me
at
this
point.
I
complained
about
this
to
the
NA
and
she
called
the
floor
manager.
The
manager
explained
to
me
that
the
video
was
for
liability
reasons
and
to
cover
their
backs,
privacy
wasn't
a
concern
to
them
and
video
recording
was
a
common
practice.
I
requested
an
appointment
with
the
clinic’s
director
and
It
seemed
as
if
I
threw
a
stone
in
a
hornets
nest.
The
floor
manager
called
the
anesthesiologist,
Dr.
Bernal,
and
he
asked
me
what
was
the
problem.
All
of
this
time
I
was
still
naked.
I
tried
to
explain
to
him
that
I
felt
my
privacy
was
not
being
respected
as
I
had
never
gone
through
anything
like
I
was
experiencing
at
that
moment
before
and
his
replied
was:
“you
should
go
back
to
the
United
States
and
get
surgery
there.”
I
don’t
know
what
was
more
upsetting;
the
fact
that
this
doctor
represented
COLOMBIA
so
poorly,
not
aspiring
to
anything
beyond
mediocrity
as
a
professional,
stepping
over
his
Hippocratic
Oath,
and
having
a
condescending
tone
towards
a
CUSTOMER
(I’m
a
paying
client
in
a
private
clinic,
I
reminded
him),
or
the
fact
that
his
lack
of
character,
dignity,
and
vulgar
behavior,
were
an
irrevocable
proof
of
his
unprofessionalism.
When
did
lack
of
HYGIENE
and
violation
of
privacy
became
a
common
practice
in
healthcare?!
Both,
Dr.
Bernal
and
the
floor
manager,
proceeded
to
tell
me
to
calm
down
and
that
if
I
wasn’t
ready
for
surgery
I
could
reschedule.
I
kept
saying
that
I
still
was
interested
in
an
appt
with
the
clinic’s
manager.
The
floor
manager
kept
hinting
that
there
was
not
going
to
be
a
surgery
if
I
insisted
to
see
the
director
because
that
meant
I
was
upset,
while
Dr.
Bernal
kept
using
my
request
as
leverage
pertaining
to
the
final
success
and
outcome
of
the
surgery.
Again,
all
of
this
time
I
was
naked.
Because
I
didn’t
shut
up
and
submissively
obeyed,
the
surgery
was
canceled
and
I
was
scorted
out
of
the
OR
while
the
nurse
assistant
was
making
signs
behind
me
at
everyone
we
were
passing
by
(medical
staff,
patients,
and
their
families
around)
that
I
was
crazy.
I
did
speak
to
the
director
days
later.
Even
though
he
was
nice,
I
opted
to
have
my
surgery
elsewhere.
Avoid
at
all
cost
unless
you're
dying.
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