中東呼吸綜合徵 我們在韓國的看病經歷

As South Korea struggles to contain an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome that has infected close to 100 people, the country’s health care system has come under scrutiny. Experts have said that the MERS outbreak may have been fueled by a hospital system that encourages family members to take on nursing duties, reported Choe Sang-Hun, a New York Times correspondent based in Seoul.

在韓國爆發的中東呼吸綜合症已致近100人感染。在該國苦於遏制疫情之際，韓國的醫療系統受到了嚴格的檢視。據時報駐首爾記者Choe Sang-Hun報道，專家稱韓國的醫療系統鼓勵家屬承擔護理病人的工作，或許助長了中東呼吸綜合症的擴散。

Responding on Facebook and in the comments section that accompanies the article, readers who either live or have spent time in South Korea shared their experiences of the hospitals there. Readers discussed how overcrowding and the obligations of relatives have affected them and their families. The responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.

在Facebook和我們的文章評論板塊中，居住在韓國或曾到訪韓國的讀者分享了他們在韓國醫院中的經歷。他們談到了過度擁擠問題以及家屬承擔護理義務對他們和家人的影響。這些評論有些經過編輯，有些經過縮減，以便更加簡潔明瞭。

Twelve people and one sink

十二個人一個水池

I spent over three weeks in a hospital in Seoul, much of the time in a six-person room. Family members were indeed expected to perform many of the duties we would expect from nurses in the United States. In fact every patient’s bed had a small brown cot underneath for a family member to sleep on. So in an average room at my hospital you could have up to 12 people sleeping in a room with one shared sink. It’s a crowd.

我曾住在首爾的一家醫院裏，住了三個多星期，其中大部分時間在一個六人間裏。病人家屬被理所應當地認爲應承擔很多我們認爲在美國護士會承擔的工作。事實上，每個病人的病牀下都附帶一張供家屬睡覺的棕色小牀。在我住的這家醫院，一間普通的病房裏可能會睡着多達十二個人。水池只有一個，是共用的。的確很擁擠。

— 브렌도

——브렌도

Assistance from the maintenance man and Dad

維修工和小孩爸爸的幫助

My wife gave birth to our son in a hospital in South Korea. It was both charming and scary. After she got a C-section, she was transported to her room by the maintenance man (no mask, no scrubs, etc.). I was required to assist in moving her from the gurney to the bed. It wasn’t very graceful....

我的妻子在首爾的一家醫院生下了我們的孩子。這挺令人高興，但也挺令人害怕的。在剖腹產後，她被維修工（沒有面具，沒有清潔等。）轉移到自己的房間。我被要求幫忙把她從帶有滑輪的運輸牀擡到她的病牀上。這可不怎麼優雅……

— Steve Stimmel

——斯蒂夫·斯提梅爾(Steve Stimmel)

Lack of gloves, soap or paper towels

缺手套、缺肥皂、缺紙巾

I just spent three days in the hospital with my 10-month-old daughter. We paid for a double room so it was not overcrowded. However, I was responsible for all of my child’s care except for the administration of medicine via IV. This is typical. A family member is expected to stay with the patient to attend to all of his or her needs. Nurses do not do any of the personal care!

我剛和十個月大的女兒在醫院一起呆了三天。我們付的是雙人間的錢，不太擠。不過，除了安排靜脈注射的藥品，照顧孩子的工作都是由我承擔的。這很普遍。家屬被認爲應該陪在病人身邊以滿足他（她）所有的需要。護士不承擔任何個人護理工作！

None of the nurses or doctors ever wore gloves, ever. This includes the insertion of the IV and drawing blood. There was neither soap nor paper towels provided in the room’s bathroom. It was also not cleaned on a daily basis. In fact, I never saw it cleaned. I also didn’t see the nurses change the ear cover on the ear thermometer between patients. His illness was not severe, but I can see how the Disease could easily spread here.

沒有一位護士或醫生戴過手套，從來沒有，包括靜脈注射和抽血的時候。病房的衛生間裏沒有肥皂、沒有紙巾，也沒有人每天打掃。實際上，我從來見過衛生間乾淨過。我也沒看到過護士更換病人交叉使用的耳溫計上的耳套。雖然那個病人的病不嚴重，但我明白爲什麼疾病可以在這裏輕易地傳播了。

— Amber Baila in Daegu, Korea

——埃博·拜拉(Amber Baila)，韓國大邱

Hygiene and overcrowding

衛生不達標、過度擁擠

Hygiene in hospitals in Korea is not what it should be. However, I think I can attribute this to overcrowding. I had a similar experience in a Chinese hospital, and when people are crowded, and you have to check nearly 200 patients a day, taking care of hygiene can be ignored due to exhaustion, etc.

韓國醫院的衛生水平不是它應該有的樣子。不過，我覺得這和過度擁擠有關。我在中國的醫院也有過類似的經歷。在人員密集、每天需要察看近兩百名病人的時候，注意環境衛生容易因爲疲憊等等而被忽視。

— Young Woo Kim

——Young Woo Kim

Not enough personnel

人手不足

People go to the hospital even for very small things that can be handled by themselves. I am not saying typical cold or things as such, but just a discomfort makes you go and see the doctor. As a result, you don’t have enough personnel to handle all these patients and family members get involved. The problem here is that family members lack a sense of hygiene compared to those trained nurses. They break hospital regulations, and patients don’t abide by the rules.

即便是患有可自行處理的一些小毛病，人們也會跑去醫院。我不是在說典型性的感冒或者別的類似的毛病，而是僅僅有一絲不適人們就會跑去看醫生。結果是，醫院缺乏足夠的人手應對全部的病人，家屬只好參與其中了。問題是，和受過培訓的護士相比，家屬缺乏衛生意識。他們破壞醫院的規章制度，病人也不遵守規定。

— Young Woo Kim

——Young Woo Kim

A referrals system is not unusual

司空見慣的轉院現象

Getting referrals for admission into the bigger hospitals is neither a problem nor peculiarity for South Korea. Many developed countries adapt similar referrals system. In fact, the real problem would sit in the cultural background such as a lot of family members who are used to gathering to take care of or just visit the patients. They frequently and directly touch the patient without hand washing, and they return to their home via the mass transportation system.

爲了進入大醫院而申請轉院在韓國不成什麼問題，也非常常見。許多發達國家採用了相似的轉診體系。實際上，真正的問題或許來自文化背景，例如家庭成員人數多，這些家屬往往習慣了爲照顧病人或僅僅是探望病人而聚集在一起。他們經常不洗手就直接接觸病人，並搭乘大衆交通工具回家。

— Seok Joon Kwon

——Seok Joon Kwon

Miserable work conditions

護士糟糕的工作環境

There are not enough trained nurses due to their miserable work conditions, payment that’s simply not enough to compensate that and also some social stereotype or atmosphere that regards nurses to be rather inferior than doctors. I heard in the United States nurses are treated very differently, like real medical experts!

護士的工作環境糟糕，收入也無法彌補這一點，而且社會上存在護士地位遠比醫生低的偏見和氣氛，因爲這些原因，受過訓練的護士不足。我聽說在美國，護士受到非常不同的待遇，他們像醫學專家一樣。

— Hanbyul Kim

——Hanbyul Kim

Affordable care for everyone

人人負擔得起基本醫療

We in Korea have a great system that makes general care affordable for everyone, but it does mean there is some overcrowding and skimping on the attention that should be paid.

在韓國，我們有一個很好的系統，因爲它可以讓每個人都負擔得起基本的醫療服務，不過這也的確意味着，存在過度擁擠和照顧不足的現象。

Another thing is that the nurses in Korea don’t do much of the nurse work that you’d see in the United States. When my grandfather had a stroke last year he was put in a single room with five other patients, and we had to bring in outside help to be at his bedside or else he would have been completely ignored.

另一個是，在韓國，護士並不做很多你在美國看到的護士會做的事情。去年，我的祖父中風的時候，被與其他五名病人一起安排到一個單人間裏，我們不得不從醫院外部尋求幫助，帶到他的牀邊，否則他就完全被無視了。

— Seline Jung

——Seline Jung

Fast and reliable service

快速、可靠

I have had nothing but fast and reliable service from South Korean hospitals. I’d go so far as to say that their hospitals and clinics are generally much faster and more efficient at getting their patients to the correct specialist than many of their counterparts in the United States.

我在韓國的醫院享受到的都是快速而可靠的服務。我只能說，就把病人送到正確的專家那裏而言，韓國的醫院和診所比美國的相應機構快捷而且有效率得多。

— Andrew Robinson in Jeju-Do, South Korea

——安德魯·羅賓遜(Andrew Robinson)，韓國濟州島

Changes have been made

已有改觀

The health care system here is excellent. In and out of the doctor’s office within 20 minutes with a bill under $10 for consultation and prescription drugs. Even had orthopedic surgery with a four-day stay in the hospital here for $350. Not worried about MERS at the moment. Diseases spread in hospitals all the time. Nothing new. The difference here is that people were allowed to go home and move from place to place. But that’s not happening now.

這裏的醫療系統非常好。進出醫生辦公室的門也就20分鐘，然後你就擁有了包含診療費和藥費的賬單，賬單低於10美元。做一個整形手術並住院四天，在這裏甚至也只要350美元。目前我還不擔心中東呼吸綜合症。疾病總是在醫院裏傳播的。這並不新鮮。不同之處在於，人們過去被允許回家和在不同地方轉來轉去地就診。現在不行了。

— Michael Perez

——邁克爾·佩雷斯(Michael Perez)

A helpful landlord

樂於助人的房東

I spent two weeks in a hospital in South Korea. I had no family there so my landlord looked after me.

我在一家韓國醫院住過兩週。我在韓國沒有家屬，是我的房東照顧了我。

— Matthew Stroud

——馬修·斯特勞德(Matthew Stroud)