You know it’s such a pain to get sick here in Australia? When you get sick here, and you would like to see the doctor, you can’t just walk into a clinic like we easily do in Malaysia. You’ll have to make an appointment. Yes, you have to pick up the phone, call the clinic and make an appointment.
The other day when I got really sick, I called the clinic to make an appointment. Guess how long was the waiting list?………. 4 days. I had to wait 4 days for my turn to see the doctor. It’s either I’ll be well by then, or maybe I’ll have died.
Yes there are lots of pharmacies here. You can get panadols and cough mixtures and flu mixtures easily. But… if you needed antibiotics or some painkiller which is a higher dosage of the normal panadol, you can’t just buy it off the shelf. You’ll need a prescription. And to get a prescription………………….. you’ll need to see a doctor……. another few days to endure whatever sickness that you have.
To make matters worst, nearly all the clinics here don’t open on weekends. Saturday Sunday, CLOSED. Monday to Friday – normal working hours… no such thing as 24 hour clinics. Being a doctor here… very good life!
Unless if you don’t want to wait, you can always go to the 24 hours emergency department at the hospital. That one you can walk in. But then again, if you are the 5th person waiting in line, nooooooo….. they won’t see you first, unless… you look like you’re about to die!
Last December, shortly after we arrived in Melbourne, Mathias got a terrible gout attack. I had to wake my cousin up at 6am and ask him to send Mat to the hospital. He was maybe like the 4th person waiting in line. It took us nearly 2 hours to wait for his turn.
When his turn came, whoa… the tests that the doctor did on him was impressive! First they took an x-ray of his knee (where the gout attacked). Then they took lots of blood samples. Next they took the liquid sample from his knee. And finally, put him on drip.
Mat in the hospital emergency department
Looks and sounds serious right? But actually not that serious one lah. Since the doctor put him on drip, we were stuck in the hospital for 7 hours.
Just that day of admitance alone, the bill amounted up to $400 over australian dollars. So when the bill came, we had to put in a claim from our insurance. And to get the claim approved, Mat has to get a signature from a local clinic doctor that he will normally see. So once again, need to pick up the phone, make an appointment, and wait for your turn (which is after a few days)……. then go see the doctor…. just to get the doctor’s signature.
Mah Fan right?
Lesson of the story:
1. Don’t get sick at all if you can
2. You must have insurance (which is compulsory if you come here to study)
3. Know a doctor friend (which we are so fortunate to have 3 GPs in our cellgroup, easier to get a prescription than making an appointment).
