The experience I just had with the health care system here in Qatar is one I could never even dream of having in the States. I paid upfront for the room bill, the surgery itself, medicine, all follow up xrays, and all follow up physiotherapy for a fraction of what it would have cost for the surgery alone in the States. I was allowed, and in fact encouraged, to do the surgery in-patient where it would have only been out-patient in the US. I checked myself in the night before because it would be easier than waking up early the next day. I was checked up on throughout the day after the surgery itself about every hourly extremely courteous and caring staff. I had a guy come into my room on regular intervals in a little vest and bow-tie asking me if I was hungry or wanted anything to drink... he later offered me a choice of lobster, salmon, or duck for dinner. I had internet and a wall-mounted flat panel screen in my room with my own mini-fridge stocked with drinks. I was checked up on three separate times by the surgeon. I was given a customer satisfaction survey upon leaving. I was even called the next day to make sure I was feeling okay and doing alright. Everything about my first experience with surgery was completely opposite to what I've heard of other people's experiences in the US.
The sad part isn't the fact that the US doesn't do this. The sad part is that US practitioners continue to pretend that their health care system and expertise are so superior to other areas of the world that they would actually tell you not to trust any health care system but their own. That's just straight up wrong. I realize my experience isn't everybody's. I realize the hospital I went to is new, and it's probably subsidized by the government, and it's meant for the best athletes in this country so of course it's going to be a a good one. But the fact is that this level of care isn't usually available in the US and it IS available here in a country in the "Middle East." And if you think this entire area of the world is light-years behind the West in terms of development, your gravely mistaken.
2 comments:
Hear hear. A month ago I had to get some medical care while I was in Pittsburgh, and the entire experience was so obscenely horrendously terrible it made me cry. And the absurdity of the system was demonstrably responsible for me getting much more seriously ill than I needed to be. Having experienced non-American health care, I really dread having to come back to American health care.
Out of curiosity, which hospital did you go to?
Aspetar the hospital at the aspire academy. They opened up to the general public last november and started doing in patient surgery at the beginning of this year. I would highly recommend it to anybody!
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