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Since our return to China in September 2011 I have had to visit the Doctor more than I ever have in the past. The good thing is that medical costs are very cheap compared to the US. The downside is...well there are many downsides to the health care in China and that is probably why it is ranked 147th in the world.
For one, many things are lost in translation when it comes to medical terms, symptoms and diagnosis. Second, there is no such thing as privacy in a Chinese clinic or hospital. We have found an amazing International Clinic in the East part of Hangzhou at Sir Run Run Shaw, but we live in the West part of this "small Chinese city". When I tell Chinese people this is a big city they disagree, but 8.5 million people in one city would rank quite high on the list for biggest cities in the USA but not even close in China...land of the Most Populous Country in the World. Sorry I am getting off track as I LOVE factoids.
Enjoy my most recent ordeal with healthcare in China as it sure does make a great
117th of PLA Injection Room
32 chairs for patients to sit in to get IV'sstory, but not easy on the low stress lifestyle I like to live. All conversations in this blog are in Chinese except between Ms Gao and I or Pete and I.
Background info: I went to the international clinic the first week in March and was put on antiboitics, 5 day Zithromax pack, for my throat and it went away. Thursday, April 12th was during my first week at my new part time job teaching Oral English at a HR firm in Hangzhou. A few employees were sick with a cough and had asked my permission to join class and wore a medical mask. I approved and have had a sore throat, dry cough and cough from the chest ever since. I got bronchitis/sinusitis pills on April 16th from the international clinc without a exam, as Pete had to return for the 2nd time due to his chronic nose and throat issues he has been experiencing since India.
Sat. April 28th Day 1-Visit to the 117th Hospital of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Ms Gao was kind enough to escort me to the hospital departure time was supposed to
IV supplies for 1 day
Had 5 bags of this stuff be 2pm but she had an interview with a potential new Real Estate major instructor/teacher on a Saturday, go figure its China. At 3:15pm, she called and said to come downstairs as she coordinated a school driver to take her and I to the best Chinese hospital that was nearby our school.
Upon arrival to the hospital, we started our "scavenger hunt" mission (that is what I felt like I was on) to find the correct building on the hospital campus. Once inside we found registration, but before you could register you had to go to another line to get a piece of paper to put your personal info on. Then we were off to the 2nd floor to find the 1st of two doctors. She examined my throat, listened to my heartbeat and breath asked about my symptoms and if I was allergic to any medicine. Then we were sent back down to the 1st floor to find the ENT (Ears, Nose & Throat Specialist) after asking a few employees we finally found the correct room. I found out by this time that Ms Gao is directionally challenged, note to self. He took one look at my throat and his eyes got really big, he told Ms Gao my diagnosis and her eyes got really big.
My diagnosis directly translated is "Tonsil Puss" no big, white spotted tonsils but infected from the inside, tonsilittis in the back of my head. I was given the option of pills or IV; I chose IV since I figured I would get better, faster. Back up to the 2nd floor to the Therapy Room where I would be tested to see if I was allergic to Penicillin, even though I know I am not, better safe than sorry.
I was in the same room as a middle school aged boy who had cut his toe and damaged his toe nail. I got to witness the doctor remove the toenail with no pain pills or care that the boy was clearly in a lot of pain by the looks on his face. I couldn't look, nor could Ms Gao. The nurse gave me my test and I had to wait 15 minutes to see if the spot turned red, it didn't and I was sent back down to the ENT doctor saying "nope she isn't allergic".
Onto the pharmacy with my prescription for Penicillin. I had no idea what was about to happen as I then had to go to the cashier's desk to pay before the pharmacy would have over my box full of IV bags and bottles of different sizes.
Prescription: •
5 bags of Glucose Injection 500ml each •
10 bags of something (saline? no English on the bag) 100ml each •
10 bags of Metronidazole & Sodium Chloride injection 100ml each •
30 bottles of Penicillin .96grams each I had to ask for bags as the pharmacy was just "expecting" me to carry all this...it filled a whole damn big box, in the end she gave me the box (lack of common sense). I then asked for her to sort it for each day so I could just bring a bag a day to the hospital her response "that's not my job"
Onto the Injection Room, where I was notified that the IV process would take 3-4.5 hrs each time, what? Maybe I would have taken the pills if I would have known this up front but I take partial responsibility as I have lived in China long enough to know I should have asked.
*China Time is usually under estimated, it always takes longer than stated. Pete and I plus 2 of our friends were "supposed" to go to Ash's house to have G make us a Ukrainian feast, that got canceled until further notice.
Ms Gao was amazing throughout this whole process and up until now it had only taken 90 minutes, not bad for a Chinese hospital. Ms Gao and I were both shocked how empty the hospital was but since it isn't located downtown less people come to this hospital, fine with me. I sent Ms Gao back home to spend the evening with her family and not in the injection room. She had the driver bring Pete back to the hospital with food and reading material, as we left home at 3:15pm not knowing this was going to be a 6 hour adventure.
Total Time Spent @ Hospital: 6 hrs
Sunday, April 29th Day 2-Return for IV Treatment #2 I told Pete I didn't want him to get to the hospital with me, as he gets easily annoyed by the "bad manners" displayed by many Chinese. Yes, manners are something that are different in each culture and the US and China couldn't be further apart when it comes to "good manners" at least the ones my parents taught me. He put up a fight, but in the end realized I was helping both of us to have a less stressful day than needed.
I decided to take a taxi to the hospital as it is only 5km (3.2 miles) away and it was raining quite heavy. Good idea turned into a bad expereience, as the first taxi I got in kept telling me he didn't know where the hospital was even though I had the name and address in Chinese characters. Then I told him I would tell him how to get there, he refused so I got out saying a few not so nice words to him and he repeated them back to me exactly how I said it to him....the Chinese can repeat very well, like a 2 or 3 year old but comprehension isn't there. So I hailed another cab and showed him the note and off we went, through the tunnel and BAM holiday traffic! Once I arrived at the hospital injection room it was smooth sailing.
Total Time Spent @ Hospital: 4 hrs
Monday, April 30th Day 3-Return for IV Treatment #3 Rode my bike to avoid taxi and holiday traffic issues due to the Labor Day holiday in China. It was the fastest time yet for the IV and nothing major to report.
Total Time Spent @ Hospital: 3 hrs 5 mins
Tuesday, May 1st Day 4-Return for IV Treatment #4 Rode my bike again to avoid issues, told by the nurse staff when I arrived I had to wait an hour as my IV bags and bottles were too cold (hen bing), resolved the problem myself by returning them to the pharmacy to get room temperature bags and bottles of IV solution. I had a "little" attitude as I was told to store all the solutions in my fridge, but our fridge is set colder than any Chinese persons fridge guaranteed. There was a little more activity/drama in the injection room today: a vomitting middle aged man on vacation from Taiwan, IV had issues and my had swelled up due to the needle not being in my vein correctly, stuck my right hand then to finish the process as I had 2 bags/bottles left.
Total Time Spent @ Hospital: 4 hrs 30 mins
Wednesday, May 2nd (1st work day since holiday)
Day 5-Return for Final IV Treatment This morning, we went to the FAO office for Christina to help us as she told us on Friday afternoon that "she was too busy, had more things to do than just deal with the foreign teachers and wanted to leave early for the 4 day holiday weekend as her parents were coming to town (they live in the same county as Hangzhou) that she would take us Wednesday"
Her response didn't fly to well with Pete nor I, as this was the 6th time we have had to seek medical attention since the end of January. Which she didn't assist us for any of them due to us going to the international clinic and once to a Chinese hospital with a student to translate (bad idea). She knew we weren't happy as Pete told her that wasn't acceptable and was thinking of reporting her to President Gao, our neighbor.
When we arrived in her office she already knew that Ms Gao had taken me to the hospital on Saturday, word spreads fast in China, faster than Prophetstown I think. So she asked when we should go and we told her now, off we went. I advised her that it was my 5th and final treatment of IV's and she was shocked at how much medicine/solution was in my "daily treatment bag". Pete used her to see a Doctor as he has 1 more day of his Moxifloxacin treatment and isn't feeling 100%!y(MISSING)et. He got 5 days worth of Levofloxacin (antiboitics) as that was the max the Doc would give him, better than nothing for our 10 days in Bali.
Total Time Spent @ Hospital: 4 hrs 35 mins 5 Day Total @ Hospital: 22 hrs 10 mins
Things I saw during my 5 treatments that I wouldn't (don't think I would) see in a US hospital: • Dog in the injection room with its owner
• Man smoking in the hallway directly under the No Smoking sign
• Numerous people being carried down the hallway by loved ones instead of using a wheelchair
• Gurneys bike locked together in the injection room as if someone was going to steal them (worker unlocked them each time they needed to be used)
• Numerous people walking into the ER from the ambulance
• People wear their own pajamas in the hospital instead of being given a hospital issued gown.
The PJ thing is funny because in China people will wear their pj's at any given time to go shopping or walk around in public all hours of the day, especially in the Winter as they have thick and fluffy pj's.
Total Cost for Elyse's visit @ 117th PLA Hospital: 180 RMB=$28.57 Total Cost for Pete's visit @ 117th PLA Hospital: 18.60 RMB=$2.95 You get what you pay for....... The experience...PRICELESS! Heres to hoping and praying that we don't have to return to the doctor again for our throat issues.
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kevin
non-member comment
\"You get what you pay for....... \" exactly! here in the US, my son (3 years old) went to the ER, waited for 3 hours, the doctor finally came, took 2 minutes and sent us home. then the bill came in, 550$ (we pay 50$, the rest went to METLIFE). and if you get a Appendicitis Surgery, the cost will be around $16K or more. (in China, Appendicitis Surgery will cost you 200 to 400$) In China, there is a term called \"以药养医\", that means the hospital need to sell more medicine to cover the cost (because seeing a doctor and get a small treatment basically cost nothing). that\'s why you see so many IV in chinese hospitals. a lot of time you really don\'t need a IV (Tylenol will do the work), but the doctor will insist you to get an IV, that\'s how the hospitals and doctors make money. in many places a doctor will get a percentage of the Prescription he give his patients.