Doctor Doctor

Okay, so it's no surprise that I've been sick for the past week or two :( BUT -- good news, I'm feeling better.

I have a sister who is studying to be a doctor and have heard lots of debate about medical care and costs and everything, so I thought I'd add my story about medical care in India!

I'm always a little reluctant to visit a doctor in another country... you never know how much it will be, the quality, if the doctor will speak English, etc, etc, but after about 10 days of a sore throat, congestion, a bloody nose, fatigue, and just general blahs, I thought it was time. I also consulted my super smart sister and she advised me to see a doctor, considering all of my symptoms and the length of time I had them.

So....

Leen phoned our friend in Rishikesh (Vishwas) to ask about a doctor. He asked what symptoms I had and then came to pick us up. We went to an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist in a small office in Rishikesh. When we arrived, we had to make an appointment, which cost 150 rupees (about 3 USD or 25 ZAR). I thought that was just the cost to make the appointment, but it ended up being the total cost for the visit. We waited about an hour for them to fit us in.

I walked back into the office, sat with the doctor who spoke clear and simple English and told him my symptoms. He used a really cool gadget to scope my throat, nose, and ears -- the scope actually put the images on the screen for everyone to see -- pretty gross, but also really neat gadget! I've only ever seen things like that in a specialists' office at the Medical University of South Carolina, not a normal doctor's office, and not a small office on a dirt street.

He asked a few questions about body aches, length of symptoms, history, etc and concluded that I had an upper respiratory infection, or acute pharyngitis. He prescribed me a decongestant, multivitamin, 3-day course of antibiotics, and cough syrup (in that order). All of the prescriptions came to a total of 182 rupees, just shy of four US dollars!

The whole thing cost less than seven dollars and I'm feeling loads better now!

I don't know why medical care costs so much everywhere else and the prescription drug companies keep costs so high, but the next time you're sick... consider coming to India. It just might be worth the flight for the cheap and high quality health care!