Hospitality of a Japanese hospital
In Japan people eat raw chicken all the time and I’ve never heard stories of people dying of it (like they apparently do in Sweden). Because of this, I concluded eating even the strangest food in Japan was quite safe and I have never feared to try any food at least once (except for the raw chicken). This might change as I ended up with my fist ever case of food poisoning after eating Teba gyoza (stuffed chicken wings) at a restaurant.
As I went to bed that night my body was aching. During the night I got a fever and pain in my stomach. In the morning the less pleasant symptoms associated with food poisoning set in and as this continued for a couple of days, in the end, I decided to visit the local hospital.
At the hospital I was immediately handed a face mask, as my high fever (39,1 at the time) could be a symptom of Swine flu. Then Yuki filled out the numerous hospital forms for me and I was given a hospital membership card.
I’m now a proud owner of a Japanese マスク (mask) and a hospital membership card with my name written in katakana, マグヌス フレドリクソン.
The Japanese hospital process is quite intriguing. As you arrive, you have to fill out your form and do your first examination on your own. Blood pressure, body temperature and pulse is all measured by yourself (with assistance from nurses) and filled out in a form together with possible causes and other important facts.
After this process was finished I just had to wait. For a really long time, since the English speaking physician of the emergency room was quite busy. Two hours later, Dr. Okura, who was both friendly and to my surprise spoke English fluently, was available. After a quick examination he concluded my illness and prescribed five different medicines that I had to take three time a day for the following two weeks. He also told me to drink large amounts of Pocari Sweat (to keep me best, I guess).
Then was the matter of payment, something I feared as much as I now fear Teba gyoza. I have heard stories of people having to fork up with piles of money for hospital visits in foreign countries, but actually, a visit to a Japanese hospital (including the medicine I was prescribed) was quite a bit less expensive than a visit to a Swedish dentist. And Dr. Okura was quite a bit more friendly and professional than most doctors I have met in a Swedish hospital.
Even the hospital cards looks more shiny in Japan than in Sweden.
Maybe Japanese physicians are paid less, and therefore doesn’t just work for the money, as in Sweden, where a doctor couldn’t care less for his or her patients. Or maybe it’s just the famous case of “you get what you pay for”. Anyway, I was overall pleasantly surprised by the Japanese welfare system. And for a tax of only about 10%, Japanese people get quite a lot. I suspect we might have been conned in Sweden.