The Hospital!

Esther in front of the emergency department...

It's ok, everything's fine!

I took my friend Esther to the hospital today as it is quicker than visiting a doctor. She had a sore throat, sore belly...you know...all the stuff you get in China! Apparently it is the change of the season that everyone gets sick!

Oh yeah, I'm supposed to tell you...this is Caitlin by the way!

Me: Not sick! :)

So, we made our way to the hospital..poor Esther hasn't even been out of bed for the last couple of days, so it was exhausting. First we ask someone who repeats very loudly all of the most emabarrasing of Esther's symptoms so that not only are we being stared at as 'waiguo ren' (foreigners) but everyone is having a little chuckle as well!! So we make our way to the appropriate window and pay 20rmb (Still not sure what it was for..). While waiting for the little red stamps to be put on the reciepts, a guy walking down the corridor hawks something up and spits it onto the floor. Yes. Inside the hospital. So, after paying at one counter, someone takes us to see the doctor. Each doctor has a desk joined to and facing another doctor, their respective patients share the bench seat that runs along the desk...

I won't blabber on too much...I'll let the pictures say their thousand words...

Esther filling out the paperwork...[note of the little red stamp in front of the doctor, this is one of many...]

In China, privacy isn't an issue! This is one of the many times we were interrupted by angry sick people demanding something from OUR doctor! Another note on privacy: when the doctor found out we went to Shanda Uni, she asked if we knew another overseas student and if we could take her results back to her...Esther: "No, we don't know who you're talking about" Dr: "Well, she's black and has long hair in plaits. Can you tell the black girl that we still have her results?" Esther: "No. That's your problem, not mine." Caitlin: *quietly chuckles in disbelief*

Say "Aah!" [yes, it was a camping torch...]

The only waiting we had to do...10 mins for the blood test results!

In the midst of these photos, we have been to the cashier twice and then back to the doctor, then to the blood test, and then wait, and then back to the doctor, and then back to pay for the drugs and then to the next window to get the prescription to take to the third window up, and then get the drugs from this window, and then back to the doctor for her to stamp everything with her red stamp. In the end I think it cost 226rmb over 3 trips to the cashier. Hopefully it all comes back on insurance...coz that is why we pay it!

These are just some of the windows that we visited!

For all of those pharmacists out there...how good are your working conditions? Although there are so many people in here, they probably don't have to do too much!

It's ok Esther...just one more window...just one more little red stamp...ok, ok, make that two...

Yes...the doctor is on her mobile...

Apparently getting an IV drip is the cure for everything. This is a baby with a drip, and grandma is holding it up for him. [ps..can you see the baby's nappy?!] About the drip too, we were wary enough of the blood test (which turned out to be a prick on the finger and squeeze enough blood out), so when the doctor told Esther she needed a drip this is what happened: Caitlin: "She really needs a drip?" Dr: "Yes, very important" Caitlin: "Why? What is it for?" Dr: "For fever" Esther: "If I take the medicine, won't I be ok?" Dr: "Yes" Caitlin and Esther: "Then does she really need the IV?" Dr: : "ok...maybe not..." hehehehe There were people hooked up to IV's everywhere in the waiting room...

Other differences I noticed:

*Man spat in the corridor

*Woman sitting next to a bin shuffles over slightly when a nurse directs vomiting patient to bin. Nurse slaps patient on the back...

* While Esther was waiting for the blood test results, we were directed to some chairs...one of which had a used cotton bud (to stop the bleeding) and all of them had bloodstains on them.

We stood.

*China loves uniforms. I think we could count a minimum of 3 different coloured nurse uniforms, 2 different ones for the doctors, and 2 different guard uniforms!

*The ambulances and emergency vehicles have to compete for parking space in the public carpark!

Other than all of that however, it was a very interesting and a quite quick visit! I know it's not uncommon to have to wait for hours in an Aussie emergency waiting room! We got straight in here.

I think, apart from being exhausted, Esther had lots of fun as I snapped photos of everything and told jokes (coz I'm so awesome at telling jokes!)

:)

ok, ta ta for now! xoxoxox

This is the result: 2 boxes of antibiotics, one bottle of something for a tummy ache, one stip of tablets for headache and fever, and one book of everything - in chinese! This makes one happy Esther! :)