Today we have a guest blogger… Tess’ mom, Maureen – otherwise known as Gorgeous Gran, or MoZiLLa – who is visiting for a month. Today GG reports on Jasper being in the hospital.

The flip side of the excellent care JJ received last night paints a picture of surprise and shock as how a state-of-the-art hospital such as the Queen Mary copes on a budget that does not allow for frills.  Let me further paint the picture.  When Tess, Jasper and I left for the hospital last night (which is right next door so the equivalent of approximately 2 blocks of walking) it was pelting rain.  But the rain was the lesser of the challenges.  The wind was the kicker.  Huge gusting winds that swept and swirled and gave a new emphasis to the hairstyle known as "the windswept look".  It was major.  I asked Tess if  it was possibly pre-typhoon but no, it was too cool – and I do recall a #9 to 10 typhoon last year when I was here and the mugginess was certainly a factor.  There was no mugginess last night. 

We reached ER and as I mentioned earlier were very quickly ushered into our little cubicle for assessment of Jasper.  As in many ER bays the various segments are separated only by curtains – Mandy and Cole, that should ring a bell from your IV Therapy days   🙂   For some reason many doors were not shut so the chilly gusting winds followed us inside and as we sat waiting for the doctor and nurses the curtains were being blown from their floor to ceiling position to nearly 90 degrees up in the air.  This would have been fairly OK except it certainly compromised the privacy of each area, especially for our poor elderly neighbour who was in pretty rough shape and moaning in her distress.  But! what got Mo’s ire up, up and away was when I spied dried vomit all down the curtain as it was billowing over Tess and Jasper!!  Oh my goodness!  No! No!  As we left to go upstairs to Paediatrics to be admitted I drew the "vomitus curtain" to the attention of the staff and to their credit they leapt into action to change it.  Gross! 

Some of the staff, probably due to the language barrier, communicated virtually nothing last night and we were left to do lots of guessing.  Others were so helpful as they explained every step.  Everywhere is much more spartan and old looking than what we, in the western world, are used to.  And of course, space is an issue.  For some reason, my presence did not create the problem both Tess and I thought it would.  In fact, I was treated with a great deal of respect and am allowed the privilege of access in and out of J’s room whenever I wish.  Almost nothing is provided so one has to bring nappies and wipes, drinks, blankets and pillow for the adult sleeping beside the baby, clothes/pj’s for the baby, food for the adult and any snacks for the baby.  Interestingly, while I was with JJ this morning from 8-12 noon a tray materialized at lunch time consisting of mashed potatoes, cooked cabbage and a steak of something I did not recognize.  I was so touched they had thought of me and said, "Oh thank you.  Is that for me?"  The answer was politely returned, "No, for baby."  There is no way Jasper could have tackled this steak! nor was he interested in the potato which I offered him and he shot right back to me.  As with much hospital food – presentation was not everything!  Tess said that at 6:30a.m. a nurse came into the room and said, "It is 6:30a.m. – time to put your bed away".  So Tess collapsed her tiny cot and propped it in the corner.  I can come up with no reason whatsoever that necessitates cots being put away at 6:30a.m!  Tess said no one came near nor was anything different happening!!  "Ah, we have always done it this way!!" 

But I was so pleased last night, when Jasper was going to have blood work and the nasal secretions taken, that the staff listened to us when we said we would stay with Jasper even though they encouraged us to leave as they knew it was going to be painful and frightening for Jasper.  So appreciated that.  And this morning JJ and I watched a children’s program on the TV in his room – all in Chinese, of course….. I need to getting cracking on learning a few words  🙂

I was here when the girls woke up from their afternoon nap and it was very sweet watching their reaction.  The room was still dark and I crept in as Mila lifted Sela out of her gro-bag.  I went over to Carys who was kneeling, still in her gro-bag and looking into the empty crib beside her.  She bent her arms at the elbow and put her palms face up and said, "Oh Oh Jasper".  The girls are quite thrown by the absence of their brother and know that something is definitely NOT right in their world.

So, there is a tiny glimpse into the Health Care system in Hong Kong.  Very interesting. 

Editor’s note: the phenomenon of providing one’s own nappies, food, drinks etc is partly cultural. While the hospital will provide the basics of food and drink, the family will rally behind someone in the hospital to provide everything else. First, it is common to find large families waiting to visit an ill relative… they may only be able to visit one or two at a time, and they may not get in at all to visit, but they will still go to the hospital to show their support. They will also rally to provide many of the comforts of home: food, drinks, DVDs, CDs, clean clothes etc. This cultural trait is shifting, though, and Tess and I have also seen patients in the hospital who never see a famil member at all.