Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Is the doctor in?

So my hip and my back have been hurting for six months, and yesterday I finally got my act together enough to go and see a doctor here.  And I do understand that the French medical system is among the best in the world, but it's a little bit...different.   When I called for the appointment, the doctor  answered the phone himself and this is exactly how the conversation went:

Me: Hi, could I make an appointment please?
Him: Tomorrow at 4:30?
Me: Okay.
Him: See you then.

That was it, word-for-word, he didn't even ask for my name.  I turn up for my appointment: he asks me exactly four questions, twists me around like a pretzel, tells me I need an X-ray and sends me off on my merry way.  And those 10 minutes cost me €40 of my hard-earned pittance.  Theoretically, I am supposed to get most of that back, but we'll just see.  In the meantime, I have to go for this X-ray and pay for that upfront as well, but I guess that's good, it will stop me from frittering away my money on silly luxuries like rent or groceries.

Oh, and another difference between doctor's offices here and anywhere else I've ever been to one?  This is my doctor's waiting room...

No comments:

Post a Comment