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Students not informed, not impressed with college health care
Constantin Barbu
Bucharest students are uninformed about university health services, but they would like to know more and strongly believe the colleges should be offering help for psychological problems when they become depressed, according to a poll conducted by The Bullet.
A Romanian proverb states that “health is better than anything else.” But what do the students think about health and health-care and most importantly, what are the achievements of universities in this regard?
Our poll was conducted over the Internet (http://tinyurl.com/2r4ewp) from Feb. 5-19 and had 113 respondents. The survey is not scientific but gives an indication of what students think.
Asked who should be responsible for the students' health, respondents took even sides with 35 percent saying the university should take responsibility, 31 percent saying it’s the student’s own problem and a similar number indicating it should be handed by public health institutions.
Two thirds of respondents in the poll said they had been sick enough to require medical help since entering in the university but only 9 percent of them used university-sponsored medical services. Just over half turned to personal or family acquaintances, while 8 percent just waited to get better without any kind of treatment.
Diana Bogdan, a freshman in the Faculty of Journalism and Communication, doesn’t think very highly of the university’s medical services. “I never used the university’s medical services myself, but what I’ve heard from others makes me not even want to use them.
I think students’ hospitals have the same problems as other public health facilities: lack of space, outdated equipment and lack of interest from staff due to lack of money,” she said.
The minority who did use the medical services provided by the university also have a low opinion on them: only a third were satisfied while the rest described the services as “bad” or “very bad.”. None of the respondents thought the university provides very good medical services.
Cornelia, a second year student at the Law faculty who asked that her full name not be used, has mixed opinions on the medical system in general. “I have very serious hormonal problems. When I went to the university’s students’ clinic they sent me to the students’ hospital in Cotroceni. Even though my condition is very serious, all they prescribed me there was Vitamin E, which has almost no effect,” she said.
“Another time, while waiting in line for two hours to get a check-up for a stomach disorder, the doctor just slammed the door in my face. When will the staff in the system understand that students are human beings, just like them?”
In the poll, 87 percent of respondents said that the university should promote a healthy lifestyle by offering anti-smoking and anti-alcohol programs, quality service in cafeterias and counseling on sexuality issues.
Student dorms and cafeterias are not hygienically managed, or so say 84 percent of respondents. “Come in the Regie campus and see the filth we’re forced to live in! Can you see such a thing in a civilized country? I seriously doubt it,” said Mihai, a student in the Politehnical University.
When asked whether they knew if the university offered any psychological counseling to students, the overwhelming majority (96%) said they knew nothing about it, even though 93 percent admit to having been sad, depressed or overwhelmed by stress since they've been here. Sixty four percent said they solved their emotional issues by talking to friends and family, 35 percent waited for things to get back to normal on their own and 1 percent sought the help of a personal counselor.
Lucretia Andriev, a freshman in journalism thinks that “the first thing towards improving the medical and psychological services offered by the university is starting a campaign to promote what already exists. A real campaign I mean. I haven’t seen a single flyer, poster or website about these issues.”
In fact, the only service the university provides is a referral to a psychologist for those who go to the doctor and complain of depression. Almost three quarters of those interviewed agreed that the university should have a hot-line for students with suicidal tendencies.
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