Cui Zengqi: Look at China and look at the United States (3)

Cui Zengqi: Look at China and look at the United States (3) Seeking a doctor In China, finding a doctor is a very troublesome thing. There is a flood of people going to the hospital to see a doctor every day...

See a doctor

In China, it is very troublesome to find a doctor. There is a flood of people going to the hospital to see a doctor. There is a long queue at the hospital registration office an hour before it opens every morning. After the 1990s, hospitals implemented the method of registering with famous doctors. The registration fee for professor-level doctors increased from RMB 5 to RMB 10, or even RMB 30 or RMB 50. In some hospitals, the registration fee for experts to see a doctor was as high as RMB 2 or 300. Chinese people believe in famous doctors and always hope to find the best doctor to see a doctor. As long as the disease is cured, it is worth spending more money, so the queues to see experts are getting longer, and they often start queuing up a day in advance. Because queuing is difficult, those who have connections have to ask someone to go through the back door. Older people pay people to wait in line for them. Some wage earners (girls) have found a new career. In addition, medical treatment in China is doctor-centered. Patients wait outside the doctor's clinic. According to regulations, they go in to see a doctor when their name is called. Because there are so many patients, a doctor has to see 30 to 40 patients every half day. Everyone was anxious, and there were often crowds of people standing around the doctor, squeezing around, and quarrels occurred every day. Going to see a doctor once is equivalent to going to a big meeting. Sometimes a minor illness will become a serious illness, and even if you are not sick, you will become sick due to exhaustion. The newly built China-Japan Friendship Hospital has opened a special outpatient department for cadres at the bureau level and above, scientific and technical personnel at professor level and above, and foreigners. Some people have seen some improvement, but these are only a small number of people. What's even more troublesome is that if you get a serious illness and need hospitalization or surgery, going through the back door and sending red envelopes is an indispensable "procedure". The biggest confusion caused by this irregular "procedure" to patients is that the person receiving the gift does not want you to give it, but you dare not not give it; when giving red envelopes, you don't know who to give it to, how much to give, how to give it so that the other party can accept it happily, etc. Sometimes people have to ask "gift giving experts" to do it for them. Of course, the biggest problem is the cost of treatment. All hospitals collect checks first and then treat patients. I feel that seeing a doctor in the United States is very different from that in China. When seeing a doctor, you need to make an appointment in advance and see the doctor on time. Even if you wait for a while, you can still watch TV and drink some coffee in a very comfortable environment. Medical treatment is patient-centered. Each patient waits in a clinic for a doctor to see a doctor. The patient's health status is protected by law as personal privacy. Each doctor only sees seven or eight patients every half day. He is relatively relaxed and can talk and laugh freely with the patients. They tend to rely more on laboratory reports for diagnosis, so Americans’ blood is not valuable, and they often use blood drawing, X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI, and even spinal cord examination and other methods. Sometimes I really feel that they are too cautious. Later I learned that this is their business rule. It is not only responsible for the patient, but also the protection of the doctor himself. It also reflects the progress and modern level of medical science. Of course, the biggest advantage of seeing a doctor in the United States is that you don’t have to worry about giving red envelopes or treating guests to gifts. The United States doesn’t do that, and there’s nowhere to give it. Great! Great! Many friends have told me that just because of this, I like living in the United States. In addition, more than 95% of the attitude of medical staff towards patients is to greet patients with a smile, showing care and consideration for the patient, which makes people feel very warm; in China, this percentage is about 50%! I still remember that I often got angry over medical treatment. Because you asked him to see a doctor, you dared to get angry but dare not speak out. This feeling is really uncomfortable. America's 911 and Emergency truly embody the spirit of putting people first and saving lives. No matter where you are in the United States, if your life is in danger, just call 911 and an ambulance will arrive within five minutes. Medical staff immediately begin examination and emergency treatment, and send the patient to the emergency room according to the patient's needs. The U.S. government has regulations that the first priority for 911 and Emergency is to save people. Regardless of skin color, race, legal status, income and medical insurance, it is important to see a doctor and save people. Several of my friends have gone to the emergency room for fractures, diarrhea, and high fever. There are no requirements. They will take good care of the disease first and then send you the bill. If you really have financial difficulties, we can also negotiate a solution. Not long after I arrived in the United States, I also had an emergency room experience. That happened when the doctor was conducting a cardiac exercise test on me. The doctor believed that my life was in danger and that I needed to undergo bypass surgery immediately. While notifying my son, the hospital's social worker processed the documents for me to apply for emergency medical expenses. I spent a day in the intensive care unit getting ready, and the next day I had $100,000 worth of heart bypass surgery. In this way, I lived for more than 10 years. Seeing a doctor is a big deal for everyone, especially those who immigrate to the United States with a green card. The guarantor will be responsible for the financial support within five years. Young people can get basic insurance through their workplace. For the elderly, seeing a doctor often becomes a big problem for new immigrants. However, as long as you have a green card, you can apply for an emergency card. In normal outpatient clinics, some large medical groups and hospitals have programs specifically to help low-income residents. After participating in such programs, it only costs about one hundred dollars a year. In realizing the universal value that human life is the most precious, the United States truly embodies social civilization and progress.