HELLO 999, I HAVE AN EMERGENCY - I CUT MY THUMB

Occasion: At home in Earlsdon, just got back from morning shift and went straight to the kitchen to prepare myself for a scrumptious homemade English Breakfast. Reached the pan and placed it on the cooker, grabbed my favourite canned baked beans in tomato sauce with my left hand and the can opener on my right hand and quickly twist and spin round the can lid leaving one small edge for the lid still attached to the can for no specific reason, waiting for something eerie to happen. That was when I greedily grabbed a spoon and scooped the beans for my first scoop to fit into my salivating mouth except that my right-hand thumb stuck on the edge of the lid and sliced right through the thin skin and ligament till it reached my dry bone, I think, well felt like it got there. Within seconds, bright red liquid burst out from the sliced part looked the same colour with the tomato sauce in the can. I lost my cool and suddenly became panic. Should I call the ambulance?

Well, I'm still human. In flesh, it looked and felt way more horrifying than the photo. Photo is of my own. All copyright reserved.

A face tissue did the job. Thanks to the 999 Emergency Lady over the phone. Photo is of my own. All copyrights reserved.

How my wounded thumb looked today. Looks like just a cat scratch. Photo is of my own. All copyright reserved.

Situation: So, the panic button has been activated. I grabbed my phone and beginning to call the UK Emergency Line 999 but then decided to end the call even before the operator picks it up. Then I remembered I have my own GP (General Practitioner) at the Kensington Road Surgery just like 2 streets away behind my backyard. I quickly grabbed my coat and ran like an Easter Bunny chasing the first light that shines on a fine day in Spring imagining how things going to be taken care off by my GP and the rest of the medical team at the Surgery until I got in front of the entrance and saw the door shut down and no signs of any doctors or even receptionist on sight. As I glanced through the glass door, I saw this white paper printed with black writings glued on the glass from the inside titled OPENING HOURS for each day of the week and noticed that today, which is Thursday, the Surgery is CLOSED.

Second Panic Button activated. My thumb's getting cold on a bright summer day and the bleeding getting worse. It's going to take me at least half an hour to cycle about 3 miles from home to the Emergency Unit at the Stoney Stanton Health Centre just by the Swanswell Lane near the lake. 3 miles is my daily pedaling distance from home to work except for this time, my thumb is bleeding and it feels like it's getting chilly, possibly from the bleeding. That was when I made up my mind and touched the virtual keypad on my smartphone 9 - 9 - 9 and press the dialing button with the green telephone icon. In less than 3 seconds I'm beginning to hear an integrated voice response (IVR) over the phone saying;

IVR: ''If you need an ambulance please press 1, If you’re calling the police, please press 2''

Me: (Press 1 without hesitation and heard someone picked up the phone)

999 Lady: ''Do you need an ambulance?''

Me: ''Yes, please''.

999 Lady: ''Can I have your name and address please''. (I gave her all she needed and heard sounds like she's typing something on her keyboard)

999 Lady: ''May I have the nature of your emergency please?''

Me: ''I accidentally cut my THUMB''

999 Lady: ''Sorry, let me repeat that; You cut your TONGUE you said?''

Me: (It was chilly as I was standing outside on my porch since I made the call while I was on my back from the Surgery. Maybe that's why I accidentally pronounced THUMB but sounded more like a TONGUE)

999 Lady: ''I'm sending the nearest ambulance we have to your location. Should be arrived within 5 to 10 minutes. For the meantime, I'm going to assist you with the necessary steps for your injury. So, is your TONGUE still hanging?''

Me: (Oh my God, she got the wrong message) No, it wasn't my TONGUE. It's my THUMB. Left hand THUMB - Got cut from a sharp can lid while opening it with a can opener''.

999 Lady: ''Oh your THUMB''. (A short pause) ''Are you inside or outside the house?''

Me: ''I'm standing outside on my door step''.

999 Lady: ''Sir, would you step into your house and try stuck your THUMB onto your stomach and press it in. Does it feel warm?''

Me: (Followed exactly what the lady said and felt a bit warm. But it still bleeds) ''Yes, feels warm now''.

999 Lady: ''Okay, good. Sir, I don't think you need an ambulance. I'm going to cancel the ambulance request''.

Me: (What ???) ''So, does this means I'm going to be fine? My thumbs still bleeding''.

999 Lady: ''Yes, just clean the wound with warm water and press on the wound with some clean cloth to stop the bleeding''. 

Me: ''Can I use the Antiseptic Pads to clean it?''

999 Lady: ''No, you don't need to. Just warm water. And let it heal by itself'. And should the wound not getting any better, you may proceed to the Emergency at the nearest hospital which is the Cov & Warks University Hospital near Walsgrave''.

Me: (Felt disappointed but a little calmer) ''Okay, thank you for your help. Bye''.

999 Lady: ''Okay, take care now. Thank you for calling the 999 Emergency Line. Bye''.

And that was the day when I stopped bothering myself going to the clinic in my neighbourhood or even dialed up the emergency number anymore. It might be a bit unfair to compare something without all the complete facts on the table. I would say that I still received some of the good medical services from the NHS[1] during my four and a half years staying in England but based on this one awful experience alone, I am qualified to say that sometimes, my home country has the better medical services, maybe even better than any of the developed countries themselves. Well, that's where I stood myself up by now. What do you have to say about your medical services?

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[1] The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded national healthcare system for England and one of the four National Health Services of the United Kingdom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Health_Service_(England)