Juice Versus Tuberculosis

Here in Thailand I have experienced the best hospital I could ever have imagined. Not only do you receive top rate medical service but it also happens with a smile!

In Thailand the hospital is there to accommodate everyone from internal needs to mere flu bugs, not like in Canada where we have the tiered system of pharmacies, family doctors, clinics, and then the big bad emergency room. Because of everyone going to one place for all their sickly needs there is a demand for a high level of organization to see that everyone is checked through in an orderly manor. Furthermore, with the hospital being a privatized enterprise such as everything is here in Thailand, streamlined service makes the baht.

In Canada my experiences with hospitals have generally been of the not so positive type. I have personally sat in “emergency rooms” bleeding until I am weak and passing out but heaven forbid I get bumped in line in front of the kid who scraped their knee and has a loud mother angry at the nurses for allowing emergency needs to prioritize above here little treasure. I have yet to sit in an “emergency room” for under three-and-a-half-hours despite the varying levels of emergencies I have personally undergone or been present for. Furthermore, the level of attention often given is that of the minimum required in order to hasten the progress of the sick line. Although my impressions have been tainted because for many years I have not received the professional conduct of a family physician but merely that of the disgruntled inner-city orderly’s and walk-in clinics. However, the fact remains that to see a medical professional in Canada one often needs to step in line for hours, weeks, or even months. Don’t get me wrong, I am very thankful for the healthcare system of Canada but I do avoid going to a hospital at any cost due to the great inconvenience that entails. So it goes.

But…Thailand has something else in store. Phayatai hospital is bar none the nicest hospital conceivable. It is like someone built a luxury hospital complete with staff and mints on the pillow but due to some mix-up; the blue-prints were fudged, or some political event occurred, and it became a hospital. As soon as you enter there are several people waiting to assist you in any language you care to spit out. Attractive nurses ply you with welcome beverages from a cart of juices and ensure you are comfortable whilst they fill out all the paperwork for you with only the occasional question followed by a “So sorry to inconvenience you.” You may have to wait, but only until you chair has slightly been warmed and you are whisked away into a doctor’s office. The doctor’s are all very well-kept individuals with discreet and humble manors. They take all the time required and are sure to follow up any and all inquiries you may have. Indeed, it makes one feel very catered to up to the point of being pampered.

The tests take no time at all. Have you ever had liquid testing performed in the name of medical science of personal health? In Canada it always seems to take two weeks to get the results of anything back from the lab. In Thailand, however, it takes a mere 45 min. (actually it only takes 30 min. but they tell you 45 min. so you are not impatient. Isn’t that accommodating and convenient?) Once again, only enough time to warm ones chair.

The doctors make no assumptions. They patiently tell you what each count shows in your tests and tell you what it leads them to believe complete with logical conclusions and attenuating theories that may be attached. They are so thorough that it makes one feel dignified by the lofty way in which they are being treated. No nutshells, round-abouts, or dummying down; just the truth with respect. I like that.

I do not hesitate to go the hospital. Today I found out I may have Tuberculosis, but the news was delivered to me with such eloquence that I simply sat there, sipped my juice, and said “I see. What do I need to do now?” To which the doctor replied with the simple answer I requested. This is a great step up from the inner city emergency clinic doctors in Winnipeg who don’t even look at me before they assume that I am wasting their time by irresponsibly getting ill and then having the audacity of visiting their office.

I believe in the healthcare system of Canada. It is a brilliant scheme of taking care of everyone that is paralleled in few places in this world. I understand that the level of expertise I receive at Phayatai hospital are likely due to the fact that they are a top-end private enterprise (which is still incredibly cheap I might add). But it does feel nice to have a smiling nurse serve me juice instead of a snarling person asking me ‘hat the hell I thought I was doing when I hurt myself in the first place’. Although, I am also looking forward to being able to see my regular family doctor at home. He doesn’t always smile, but he knows me, keeps me healthy, and my government pays him to do just that.

p.s. I hope I don’t have tuberculosis. I mean, juice and swift service are nice but I trust the medicine in Canada more,and I don’t want to go like Doc Holiday, coughing and cursing the fact I didn’t die with my boots on.