An elderly woman is upset with the politicians in Northern Ireland because they allegedly forced her to use her savings for knee surgery in Poland.
Christine McDonald was informed that there could be a five-year wait before she could have knee replacement surgery, despite the fact that the health department claims most wait times are shorter.
Her hospital stay cost her £8,500.
Despite Ms. McDonald's praise for the pain relief provided by her new knee, she felt she had no choice but to pay because she could no longer tolerate the pain.
25,075 patients were waiting for inpatient or day case admission under the specialty of trauma and orthopedic surgery, according to the most recent data from the health department, which was as of March 31.
Only one in 20 patients had to wait longer than five years, according to the department, whose median waiting period for such operations was 74 weeks.
The median is our preferred standard deviation measurement. as a result of longer waits skewing waiting times, more patients are waiting for shorter amounts of time than the average, according to a department statement.
Since 2014, Ms. McDonald had been dealing with knee pain, and as the years passed, she went from being able to walk for miles to finding it difficult to descend stairs.
The County Down woman claimed, "Every time I stood up or sat down, I could feel my knee crunch.".
Sleeping was shocking because I would scream in agony whenever I moved my leg. ".
Her doctor's cortisone injections were no longer relieving.
She eventually needed to take morphine-based painkillers, but even so, she was informed that she would have to wait five to six years for surgery.
"I reasoned, 'No, I might not be here tomorrow. '.
I said to myself, "I can't go on living like this. Nobody should have to endure this constant suffering, she said.
"Nobody should be forced to believe that there is nothing that can be done and they must simply learn to live with pain for the rest of their lives. ".
At that point, Christine's pain was having an impact on both the quality of her life and her mental health.
She claimed that suffering from pain "takes away who you are as a person, it drains you.".
She then began researching private care both domestically and internationally.
She chose a private clinic in the southern Polish city of Katowice after looking for facilities, communicating with hospitals, and reading reviews from other UK residents who had traveled abroad for treatment.
The entire course of treatment, which cost £8,500, included surgery, a 12-day hospital stay, and ongoing one-on-one physical therapy.
Christine claimed that the price was just over half of what she was told would be charged for a similar procedure in a private Belfast clinic.
It was obvious, she continued.
Christine regularly updated her family with videos from her ward in Poland.
When speaking with the medical staff who did not speak English, a translation app came in very handy.
She boarded a flight back home after two weeks.
Even though she missed her family and occasionally felt lonely, she said that overall it had been a good experience.
Seven weeks later, the pain has nearly subsided, and Ms. McDonald's mobility has significantly increased.
I am very proud of my Polish knee for the way it has improved my life and given me my life back. ".
The absence of pain is wonderful, but Ms. McDonald claimed that she was still indignant about having to use her savings to purchase something that she believed she had paid for throughout her working life.
She believes a more effective healthcare system could reduce the length of time patients wait for surgeries, but since difficult choices were not made in the past, significant reforms are now impractical in the absence of a functioning government.
Since the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) left Stormont 16 months ago in protest of the trade agreements of the Brexit, Northern Ireland has not had a health minister.
A person would not be entitled to related pre- or post-treatment support from primary or secondary care services in Northern Ireland if they have traveled outside of the country for surgery, according to Department of Health guidance for patients considering going abroad for private treatment.
