Chinese vs. Danish doctors
Aug 1st, 2007 by Peter
Seems that I don’t have the flu, but just a horrible cold. Snotty nose, sore throat, cough and pretty dizzy. The doc tested me (way more intensively than the one in China), and found nothing but a cold. Ok with me, but still feel like shit. At least the fever is now gone.
After my trip to the Danish doctor it was clear how different the Danish and Chinese doctors work.
At Yilan, the doc only checked my temperature, looked briefly at my eyes, looked in my throat and checked out my blood pressure. From that I got: A shot of some liquid in my right buttock, penicillin and blood pressure lowering medicine. This was over 2 consultations. The last time he only checked my blood pressure/throat and the first time he (another doc) only checked my eyes, my throat and my temp.
The one here in Denmark checked my throat thoroughly, took a sample with a q-tip and checked it out, checked my blood pressure twice, took a blood sample to test for bacteria/flu (never can remember what is for flu and what is for bacteria). Then he listened to my heart, lungs and asked plenty of questions about my recent and current condition including questions about the medicine used in China. While doing this, he wrote a long note to make sure all facts was straight for an eventual prescription of medicine. He didn’t give me any medicine since my numbers checked out fine and overmedicating “just in case” is not a good thing.
After this he told me that the medicine I used in China (I brought the empty boxes) was penicillin and hypertension/angina medicine. He also added that both were some used in Denmark too, but that he would never have prescribed the hypertension/angina medicine unless my blood pressure had been too high over a longer period (it hadn’t and I was never asked for that). Just as I had expected and also the reason why I stopped using it in China after 4 days when I felt well again.
Maybe I should add that this was not my regular Danish doctor but a reserve one of that only practicing in the clinic for 6 months only.
From what I could understand from the doc here in Denmark, prescribing penicillin without testing properly is a bit stupid. Antibiotics and penicillin is 2 entirely different kinds of medicine and is used for different things. The doc in China couldn’t know which one to give me from his “tests”.
It strikes me how big the difference is between the doctor in Yilan and the doctors here in Denmark is. I have never felt “undertreated” here in Denmark, but I sure did in Yilan. I know there are differences in the hospitals in China, but the one I used sure weren’t one of the best. I am the type of guy who ALWAYS gets the flu or similar once a year. I also always end up with penicillin or antibiotics. The positive side to this is that I know the drill. I know what the doc will test and what is important. The doctor in China was annoyed we woke him on the job, but also less than thorough.
I cant help but feel a bit worried about the general Chinese health service from my experiences and those I can read up on on the net. Seems that medicine is prescribed easily and that there is not enough control. I also got the hunch that many Chinese use too much medicine at every little problem. If the first medicine doesn’t work after 1 or 2 days, they just go on to the next one until they get better. That’s playing with your health if you ask me. You should always contact your doctor and let him/her tell you what to take and not take. Some medicines don’t go down well with others and general side effects should not be taken lightly.
Anyway, that’s my 2 cents.