Lately, I've been a little too lazy in typing up entries...only because I've been so busy collecting experiences to write about! Recently, I had an extremely informative experience--I went to the local hospital. This is what I learned:
1. Expect to be there for hours.
Back at home, when someone says "I need to go to the hospital," they mean call an ambulance and run all the red lights. Here, instead of going to a normal clinic, a lot of people just head on down to the hospital for their everyday aches, pains, and colds.
When I showed up at the Hekinan City Municipal Hospital, I had to go through the new patient registration, which involved sitting and waiting for the receptionist to make me a plastic patient ID card. Then I made my way down to the internal medicine office, where I was given a number and told to sit around until it showed up on the big screen above the receptionist's desk.
So I sat and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited...for two hours.
Finally, my number flashed on the screen and I was ushered into the hallway that leads to the doctor's office...where I waited some more.
Then I waited for some tests, and then I waited for the results.
All in all, I was there for almost FIVE HOURS.
You would think that after all that, I would never want to go back. Well, you'd be wrong because....
2. Japanese hospitals are really cheap!
Japan is one of the lucky countries that has national health insurance. My insurance pays for 70% of all the costs, leaving me responsible for 30%. And let me tell you, that 30% is miniscule.
For example, three EKGs, a cardio stress test, a Holter Monitor, CT scan, an X-Ray, bloodwork, and ultrasound cost me less than just one of those tests would in the States. Getting an appointment with a specialist to interpret the results cost....$2.50.
I plan on framing that bill!
3. You need to get sick on schedule.
Japanese hospitals have everything and are really cheap, but you better get sick on schedule or you're out of luck. The outpatient clinic at my local hospital is open from 8:30-11:00. That's it.
Should you get sick after hours, you have to find another clinic or risk getting a bigger bill from the emergency room.
Unfortunately, all clinics and hospitals tend to operate in 4 hour blocks, so you might have to drive around or make some phone calls to find one that's running when you need it.
These 4 block periods of operation are also conveniently scheduled only on weekdays, meaning you have to take time off of work if you want to see a doctor. How convenient!
