This morning Sveta and I got up early and went to the doctor. If you follow this blog then you know that I have a dozen articles and I think the healthcare in Russia is fantastic. Well once again I had to go in and see a therapist. That is what Russians call a MD and I have been to specialists, but did not have a MD to keep an eye on my health…
So Sveta and I once again walked to the medical office and I got to be looked over by another Russian woman doctor. As I have said many times, women are the doctors in Russia and to prove my point. I counted the doctors located on one floor of the three story building that we were in. Twenty Five doctors and two of them were men. The other floors are the same ratio…
Then to boot, I saw that they had a therapist who is on vacation and she is a cardiac specialist. Looks like I may have found a cardiologist close to home. That is going to be a wonderful thing and she uses the same office that my new therapist uses. They are partners in crime so to speak… 🙂
So I have to have a ton of blood/other lab work done, x-rays of my lungs and a sonogram of my kidneys/liver. My last blood tests that came back are showing liver issues and that is not good. I think it is the ton of medicine that I take and it is a side effect of that…
Oh the x-rays of my lungs are a real precaution thing that Russians do. TB has been an issue really bad in the past and Russians believe in x-rays to try to catch the TB as early as possible. They have x-rays of the lungs done about every two years. Just kinda a informational thing for everyone to know…
I feel that I am having good care in Russia and the visit today cost 900 rubles for about an hour of the doctors time. That is about $25 dollars an hour total and that is regular price, not insurance discounted, not government assisted, but the cost that any Russian would pay out of pocket. I do not have healthcare in Russia as I am not a citizen and not able to have assisted healthcare. I wish and I would use it, as I have been many times to the free healthcare places and paid the fee to have service. But $25 dollars is not going to break me. Then I have learned that doctors make so little in Russia that when Sveta says we will take a box of candy or another treat for the doctor (Kinda like taking an apple to the teacher!), we do just that. These doctors do not make a huge salary and that $25 dollars per hour goes to the medical complex and the doctors are paid a hourly wage. So I will most likely see Sveta suggest taking a box of sweets to this doctor, Sveta liked her and thought she was great…
Yes if you picked up that what I think does not really matter, then you picked it up correctly. Besides I am just a grouchy old bear anyway… 🙂
I still chuckle as I see that all doctors are basically women and I always wonder how that would go over in America? You know! Men doctors and women nurses. Law of the west…
Such a different world this is, than the one I left behind in America. Different in many good ways…
The few women doctors in America that I met were almost the death of me: Example – One woman doctor at a Saint Mary’s hospital, asked me if something else was not normal about me, that drove me in to see the doctor for chest pains. I replied that my left arm was weak. I had no strength in it. She grabbed my arm and said, “Try to lift your arm!” I lifted it and said, it hurts and is weak…
She laughed at me and said there is nothing wrong with you. You almost picked me up off the ground. Ha Ha Ha Ha. Then she sent me home, after laughing at me. Two days later I was in surgery at a Saint Lukes for a heart attack. I have talked about things like this before and that is what makes me very upset with the American way…
In 7 years in Russia, I have never been treated that way and never laughed at. They take their jobs seriously and that I appreciate…
Besides: Sveta would kick their butt if they laughed at me and that is just right…
Have a nice day…
Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…