Sicko

One of my biggest nightmares would be to sound like Michael Moore, but at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, after having my first personal experience with the Indian health care system, I have to say that I'm quite impressed. Though Lindsay is the health care expert in the Windia duo, my experience was pretty solid.

After waking up this morning with a mysterious rash (when in Rome!), I consulted with my work colleagues and was referred to a doctor and made an appointment. He works out a local hospital pretty near where we work/live that is large and serves many patients. Upon arriving, I was guided to his wing and then got in the cashier line. I filled out a quick form that basically only required my name and phone number and then they generated a file and charged me 600 rupees (roughly $15).

After paying, I walked to the doctor's office and slipped a receipt into a mailbox like slot in his door and waited for him to see me. Granted, at that point I had to wait for about 30 minutes (but that seems like Universal doctor wait time), and then the doctor ushered me in. He was extremely friendly, he thoroughly examined my rash and asked me questions about diet, washing sheets/clothes, heat and then determined that I had some sort of allergic reaction to something my body has never seen before. He prescribed me a small dose of anti-allergy medication (Allegra and Smarti for those scoring at home) and then assured me that if it doesn't start going down/away, he would do blood tests immediately and see me again whenever I wanted.

At the conclusion of the examination, I was given my own file to keep (that would have solved Elaine Bennes' problems back in the day) and directed me to the pharmacy located about 15 feet from his office. After paying about $3 for the medicine, I was on my way. In a country where "systems" "infrastructure" and general order are sometimes rare to come by, I have to say this was a pretty painless and good process.