To see a doctor in China...

In China to see a doctor you need to go to a hospital. And if in Shanghai there are special hospitals for foreigners or foreign VIP centres in Chinese hospitals available (with foreign staff or staff speaking English and possibly some other languages and Western approach to things)...in Rizhao there`s the "Renmin YiYuan", not much English and things are as Chinese as they can be ;)

Anyway...this post is not about English in hospitals...it`s about what to expect in a typical Chinese hospital...
Let`s skip the deatils about:
1) getting your hospital card made
2) paying card fee...
3) figuring out where to find the doctor you need..
4) finding it...
5) going to pay a doctor fee
6) patiently waiting for 40 minutes in a waiting hall (there is even a computer organised line like in a bank...so you get real excited about how advanced things are)...

Let`s go directly to the point when your turn comes... a kind nurse directs you to a room number 3 and (having waited for your turn for 40 minutes) you are speechless to see what`s in the room...


Now it`s the same for all the doctors` offices... all the doors were opened and most of them had hoards of people in: patients, their friends, family members.... who knows...

So at this point you realise that as a foreigner you have absolutely no idea what & how happens next...

All the Chinese are leaning over the table and over the doctor and patiently being present in diagnostics process of all the patients..



Privacy?
Patient`s confidentiality?
Not in a Chinese hospital!

Luckily the nurse noticed our shocked facial expressions and squeezed through the crowd to advice doctor of foreigners ...and all the attention switched to us!

As the doctor was ready to talk to us (in Chinese, of course!) realizing we were quite shocked she even asked all the other people to leave the room :))) (door, of course, stayed opened!) Chinese were obviously confused and disappointed they would not get to hear about foreign health issues ;)))

All that said... the tests were done, the diagnosis was made, the cure was found and the disease was fought! :)




P.S. I wonder if it`s the same for the gynaecologist visit?! :)))

P.S.1. These doctors here must have nerves of steal to be able to stand that kind of working environment! (or to have continuous nervous breakdowns!)