So the health service in Ireland is not great. I've been on a waiting list for two years for a simple surgery to fix a meniscus tear in my knee. Meanwhile the pain in my knee gets worse and by the time they get round to fixing it, it will probably be a worse problem than it was originally. The physiotherapist my doctor made me see first said if I lived in India it would have been fixed immediately. Also in Ireland you can't see a specialist for anything without a referral from your GP. I needed a referral for a dermatologist, a neurologist, an orthopaedic dr and a podiatrist. If I wanted to see a Gynocologist or Nutrionist or any other doctor than a GP or dentist you need a referral. After you get a referral you'll be waiting at least six months for an appointment. Except for the podiatrist. A podiatrist is a foot doctor. I had an ingrown toenail and got an appointment in three months and went in. My toenail was ripped off and I was sent home no aftercare instructions or anything. I paid €200 to see a neurologist Whe specialised on myotonic muscular dystrophy who told me the same thing the non specialist told me. No cure, no treatment don't come back. My GP won't do anything for you until your at the end of your tether the first time I saw him for an ingrown toenail he said there was no option but surgery and I had to go again for the surgical appointment. He once told me not to come back for three months. I don't like the doctor but it's necessary sometimes and he's an asshole half the time. But perfectly polite when my mother wants to go in and complain about how I have insomnia. Which is why I'm writing this at 5 am my time. Because sleeping tablets apparently are not the answer. But he doesn't know what is and he told me I would have to wait a while for an appointment for a sleep clinic and didn't refer me. I'm going to try my college doctor the specialists for everything in my county are all in Cork anyway. We need a better health care system in this country but I don't know about the system in other countries.
Hi @Loves books: It's about the same where I live. I too was recently talking to a friend who told me of his experiences in Thailand at an American hospital - top rate care for a pittance - just walk in and away you go. I'm not sure where we've gone wrong but it is truly frustrating at times. My friend says if he needs his knees done he's going to Thailand.
The United States system is pretty much based on how fast you can pay them. If you have the money to pay them upfront, any private physician will see you and complete almost any procedure within about a week usually, a month at the most, regardless of whether or not you have a referral. For example I also had an ingrown toenail once and it took literally 2 days between calling the podiatrist for the first time without a referral and the procedure being completed. The concept of waiting 3 months for such a simple and fast procedure is shocking to me. The downside of the United States system, is that anything more than basic medical care costs a lot more than it does in other countries. It is extremely common for a person to go into a hospital for a few days for a heart attack or something and come out owing $20,000+ (hopefully covered by insurance) when the same thing in other countries would be like $3,000 due to taxpayer subsidized healthcare.
I don't think it's fair to compare the health care system in Europe to the health care system in Thailand or India. It may be true that you would be seen immediately for "a pittance", but to the average Thai or Indian it will be far from a pittance to be seen. We're not really comparing like for like. In many countries, you only jump the queue if you have the ability to pay. It's the same in the UK. If you use the NHS, you are triaged, but if you have deep pockets you can choose to 'go private'. Well, your GP isn't wrong to say this because sleeping pills are very rarely the answer to insomnia. If your sleep isn't good, there is usually an underlying issue; it may be a medical issue, but it could even be an environmental issue. Have you tried anything to improve your sleep pattern, short of taking medication?
@PatrickUK: Yes, I hadn't thought of it that way...these are hospitals that typically cater to foreigners. In Canada, in most cases, there is no way at all to jump the queue except to go the US or some other country where you can pay directly. Having a private system alongside the universal system might take the pressure off the public one. If that shocks you I won't mention my retinal emergency where it took me eight days to get in to see a specialist. There's something far wrong with a system where that can happen. @Loves books: I stumbled across this - not sure how much you can believe. https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/phot...the-worlds-best-healthcare-systems/ss-BBJ9xWr
