This is what the best sci fi is. Using context shift and a drizzle of “what if”, provide enough distance from a problem to help readers think about it anew.
I was going to post something along these lines, but from the perspective of sci-fi in-general being palette-swapped commentary on contemporary or historical themes, unless you're reading something by Greg Egan or Vernor Vinge.
Somehow this managed to bring to my mind the venerable adventure game Gateway from 1992, taking place in Frederick Pohl’s Heechee universe. It’s probably been closer to 30 years since I’ve played it.
The Sydney hospital where one in 10 patients waits more than 43 hours
One in 10 Blacktown emergency patients waited more than 43 hours to be admitted or transferred.
...while almost 9 per cent give up and leave without completing treatment.
NSW has not met any of its access targets for emergency wait times, which stipulate that at least 80 per cent of patients should be admitted or transferred to another hospital within six hours, according to Bureau of Health Information data published on Wednesday.
The ongoing efforts at digitising medical records and care have made waiting times and outcomes much worse.
But it is cheaper and and easier sell to the gullible public than providing more funding and facilities.
"Woman found under coat in Nottingham A&E died days later
An investigation has been launched after a woman died days after being found unconscious underneath her coat while waiting in A&E for seven hours.
The 39-year-old woman is understood to have first attended A&E at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham on the evening of 19 January complaining of a severe headache. She was triaged and then observed by nurses three times. Her case was escalated but she was not seen by a doctor before being discovered.
When the woman was called to see a doctor, she did not respond. It was assumed that she had left A&E because she had waited so long. She was discovered and transferred to intensive care but died three days later on 22 January.
A source familiar with the hospital told LBC, which first reported the incident, that the A&E department could have up to 80 patients waiting at a single time and that wait times could be as long as 14 hours"
This is a normal trip to the emergency room with search and replace for sci-fi terms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_(video_game)
One in 10 Blacktown emergency patients waited more than 43 hours to be admitted or transferred.
...while almost 9 per cent give up and leave without completing treatment.
NSW has not met any of its access targets for emergency wait times, which stipulate that at least 80 per cent of patients should be admitted or transferred to another hospital within six hours, according to Bureau of Health Information data published on Wednesday.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/revealed-the-sydney-h...
But it is cheaper and and easier sell to the gullible public than providing more funding and facilities.
"Woman found under coat in Nottingham A&E died days later
An investigation has been launched after a woman died days after being found unconscious underneath her coat while waiting in A&E for seven hours.
The 39-year-old woman is understood to have first attended A&E at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham on the evening of 19 January complaining of a severe headache. She was triaged and then observed by nurses three times. Her case was escalated but she was not seen by a doctor before being discovered.
When the woman was called to see a doctor, she did not respond. It was assumed that she had left A&E because she had waited so long. She was discovered and transferred to intensive care but died three days later on 22 January.
A source familiar with the hospital told LBC, which first reported the incident, that the A&E department could have up to 80 patients waiting at a single time and that wait times could be as long as 14 hours"
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/10/nottingham-i...