A Doctor Visit: IN TAIWAN

We had a meeting with our base leaders today, and after being with me for a little bit, they told me that I should really go to the doctor. I have had a yucky cough for a few days, and it has gotten a lot worse today. It kept me up last night a lot. In the States, I would have put off going a bit longer... because the price of a doctor visit is so expensive in the States, PLUS the cost of expensive medicines. But they told me here that I only needed to take $12 (USD) with me (that's 400 NT- new taiwan dollars i think), and it would cover everything.

I walked over there, all 4 blocks away from our house, paid my 400 NT, got a number, and looked at a few shops next door while I waited. After 10 minutes my number was up on the board. I stepped in to the cubicle-like doctor's office. The doctor finished telling the last patient directions about medicines while me and the guy behind me waited on a few chais in front of his desk. After they left, I was motioned into the bigger patient chair. The nice doc spoke english to me, thankfully. He listened to my breathing, looked in my nose with a strange stainless steel instrument that he discarded then into the pile of used ones, looked into my mouth with the typical popsicle stick gagger, and said, "your throat is very infected." He grabbed a swabber, dunked it into some iodine looking stuff and brought it to my mouth. I pulled back, "What is that?" He grinned, "Medicine.. (swab)... you can swallow it." ????

Then he told me I have tonsilitis and a slight broncial infection. I asked if it was the kind I needed my tonsils out and he said no, just an infection. He rolled his chair back 2 feet to his desk, and clicked about 12 times on his computer. I could read it - he clicked the diagnosis, it brought up another screen that had medicine selections, which he chose a few more things from, then through a few more screens, click print... and it was done. "Take medicine 3 times a day, antibiotics. Take cough sypup 6 times a day or as needed." I clarafied it with him, he smiled, and I was out the door... 4 minutes flat. And I was one of the slower patients with my questions and all! I took my piece of paper printed with medicines he prescribed upstairs to the prescription counter. In 30 seconds or less, she handed me back 8 small baggies of pills, each one with 5 1/2 pills in it. ;) I was puzzled, and asked her what they were. One was antibiotic, one aspirin I think, 2 were for the coughing, and I don't know the other one. Maybe vitamins? $12, 10 minutes waiting, 7 minutes with doctor and getting prescriptions... and I was on my way back home. Amazing. The systems they have here to handle mass population are amazing. Our 'one patient at a time in each room for 30 minutes' would never work here. The amount of patients he saw in one hour would have taken all morning in an American doctor's office.

I took the pills when I got home, and I felt measurably better within a few hours. So praise God for that! Not bad for a first visit. I wouldn't be exited about this method of health care for more serious needs. Perhaps it is modified a bit in that case?

On the mend,
Lacy