Island Hospital

Just opposite YMCA in Macalister Road, Island Hospital is one of the many private hospitals in Penang. Why I chose to come here? It is not like I love spending my money at this hospital but I do not have much choices and there are reasons to it. It is a long story and if you want to know more, you can read The Tuberculosis Journey - Part 1 and Part 2.

I thought that I could save a lot of money by going to the General Hospital, but I figure that when something comes cheap, the end result would not be nice. With the statement 'I was rushed out as soon as I rushed in' in which blogger Kenny Sia described his experience in the Sarawak General Hospital, I strongly believe he had succinctly described it for all government hospitals in Malaysia. You can read his post at http://www.kennysia.com/archives/2010/08/finding-a-cure.php

Anyway, perhaps, I can blog a little about Island Hospital. Here are some pictures and please excuse me for any flaws for I am not a professionally trained photographer.

The reception area in Island Hospital never fails to impress any visitors. Certainly, it looks like a reception area for a fancy hotel.

The doctor's room.

The above two pictures show the waiting area outside the respective doctors' rooms. Even a private hospital is crowded. But certainly it is not as crowded as the General Hospital where you have to wait for hours before the doctor sees you.

One thing I noticed is that there are many Indonesians in this hospital. Is it true that medical fees in Malaysia is so much cheaper compared to Indonesia that they are willing to fly all the way here? Everywhere I walk around I would hear someone speaking in Bahasa Indonesia, including in the treatment room when I was about to go for the bronchoscopy.




This is the cafeteria in Island Hospital. The food is not cheap at all. It reminds me a lot of Big Bites Cafe in INTI College Penang with its exorbitant prices. Businessmen everywhere seem to be unscrupulous.




This is the waiting area for the cashier section.







There is even Four Leaves bakery in Island Hospital. I took this picture at about 4pm and everything seems to be sold out by then.




When I first registered at Island Hospital, I had to pay a RM15 registration fee. So, the yellow card above is worth RM15! I mustn't lose this card or else I have to pay RM15 again.