I am in South Africa and have an attack of gout. It is not something that happens often to me and my visits to the Doctor has done nothing to help me plan, deal with or learn about my condition. It has been a year since I had my last attack and this came on very suddenly. It is always a worry because the pain is distracting and it can limit my effectiveness as a professional speaker.
What do I do? Going to a Doctor is not something I relish in England, no mind in South Africa. The cost, what will they do, will I catch something, etc.
A close friend insists I go to the Doctor as I limp around in pain. I get loaded into the car on Saturday morning and driven into town to a Doctors surgery. We walk in at 9.35am and explain that I am visiting the country and need to see the Doctor.
The receptionist is not phased and she explains that the Doctor has some pre-planned appointments but she will see what she can do.
Three and a half minutes later I am sat in front of a doctor! He is cheerful and asks me questions which start with, “Have you been drinking too much South African wine?” We laugh and the examination goes ahead with the tone set. He is interested, considerate, and he oozes confidence combined with competence in a way that relaxes me.
Finally he explains (in a way that nobody has ever done before) what gout is, what happens and what he is going to recommend for me.
The recommendation is an injection of a “mix” they do. I cannot even start to pronounce the mix but he goes on to explain that the one will give relief within the hour and the other will kick in four hours later. “That gets you over the initial problem” he says, “and then I will give you a prescription for two things…”
He explains that one breaks down the crystals in the foot and the other is for pain relief if I need it.
Duly dealt with, including an injection and a prescription in hand, I leave the doctors consulting room. (By the way the injection was the least painful one I have ever had in my life) The Doctor hands me a leaflet on gout and as a true patriotic South African smiles and says, “Keep drinking the South African wine hey!”. We laugh, shake hands and he holds the door open as I leave.
Now a new fear clutches me as I realise I will have to pay for the consultation and treatment. I approach the receptionist with my two pieces of paper and she has a look at what is there. A few moments and she looks up and tells me I owe R236.00 (£16.27 or $8.13) for everything. I put away the credit card and pull out cash for such a small amount.
We walk into pharmacy and get a weeks treatment of both items on the prescription which costs me another R180 (£12.41 or $6.20). We go for a coffee and by the time we leave the coffee shop I can walk normally and feel great.
I am gobsmacked at the service I got, the speed I was dealt with and the relief I have in such a short period of time. Never in 10 years of going to Doctors and Consultants in UK have I had the same service and certainly I have never been able to see a Doctor at a moments notice.
I ask my friends if this is normal? “Oh yes, quite normal”. They are British and so know what happens in UK. They go on to tell me how she had a problem and she phoned the Consultant at the hospital directly and asked to see him. He said yes and the appointment was made the same day!
He examined her and said she needed surgery. He then asked when she would like it?! She said next Thursday would be good and he phoned up and two minutes later it was booked!!!!
In UK, if I want to see a Consultant it has to be through a Doctor and I have never seen one within four weeks of seeing the Doctor. In fact the last time the Doctor in UK referred me to a Consultant, I gave up trying to arrange an appointment after three attempts. In future I think I will get on a plane and fly to South Africa.
My friend tells me that increasingly people are coming to South Africa for plastic surgery and dental work in particular because it is cheaper, more efficient and they can combine it with an amazing holiday.
I ask myself, what is wrong with the systems in the West? We seem to have made it too complicated. The health service in UK has become a nightmare of bureaucracy and littered with frustrated people who have lost a common sense of purpose and even possibly even pride in their profession.
Personally? I know where I want to go if I really need medical advise in the future.
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Hi Paul
I liked your SA medical story. I had a similar experience myself about 3 years ago. We were enjoying the view from the top of Table Mountain when I felt some discomfort in my leg and noticed that some purple patches had appeared. I put it down to a heat rash and didn't worry too much aboutit, but the next morning my whole leg was swoolen, painful and vivid purple from the thigh to the foot. We were staying at the Vinyard Hotel in Newlands. I went down to the desk and asked to be directed to a local GP. The receptionist took one look at my leg and suggested I return to my room and wait for a doctor to call. He actually arrived about ten minutes later and after a brief examination advised me that I was suffering from blood poisoning caused by a bite on the ankle, probably from a spider. I then remembered that a couple of days previously I had been walking through long grass in the Karoo when I had felt a sharp pricking sensation under my sock. This confirmed his initial diagnosis and after some minor surgery he performed at the site of the bite, an injection, and a course of anti-biotics I was on the road to recovery. The cost of my treatment which included a follow up visit the next day was rather more than your experience, I can't remember exactly but it certainly ran to £ 3 figures but nevertheless very reasonable for the service received. What was interesting was that the doctor told me during the course of our conversation that every summer he made his way with his family, to Portsmouth in England to work as a locum.
In four months he was able to earn more than he could in a whole year in Cape Town!
Earlier this year we were in Brazil when my wife had a fall from a pavement which terminated in a deep hole! Initially we thought she had badly sprained her ankle but it turned out that she had fractured the fibula and also bones in her foot and ankle. The medical treatment she received in Sao Paulo was first class and we were able to complete our holiday. However she was advised that she would have to travel home with her leg in an elevated position. A call to the insurance company helpline in the UK (unhelp line it should be called), turned out to be a totally frustrating experience. After a very expensive half an hour mobile phone call I was eventally asked to call back the following day to provide all sorts of irrelevant details. For some reason my call the following day was redirected to an office in the US. The experience on this occasion could not have been more different or more helpful. Within the hour I received a call back to advise that our flight ticket had ben changed to enable us to fly home in business class. We were redirected to Heathrow instead of Birmingham, and an ambulance car arranged to take us home from the airport. It all worked like a dream!
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