it was the first time we went to a doctor's clinic. believe it or not..we all three had damn itchy rashes on our legs and feet after we woke up a couple of days ago. it may not be that serious for us to go see a physician..but sometimes it's a lot better if you can take it from the experts..especially when this country somewhat "oblige" you to do so.

every month, every citizen here spends a minimum of around $30-$40 on the province's medical insurance. whether you got sick or not..at the first day of the month you have to pay. so why the heck? its because you got a care card. everytime you get sick, you can go at any doctor..at any time and place..show your care card..and pay nothing. it's that easy..not like in philippines when most of the ill are having double troubles----first, their illness then the money to pay the check-up and the meds..it may sound free but actually you had them paid before you can even get sick. so here..no doctors accept cash after giving you the prescriptions. it is the government who pays them with what they had collected from you.

so let's go back to where i started. we were having these rashes and we went to a clinic. and believe it or not..clinics are scattered everywhere that if you accidentally fainted on your shopping you can easily go to the doctor. and the clinic we went is actually inside the mall. funny, isn't it? generally a clinic do not only hold a single doctor..but a group of doctors..and even though they are many..sometimes you still have to wait. then we entered the clinic. my mom talked to the receptionist of the clinic and presented our care cards. then we sat and wait for the medical assistants to call our names. after a long while..we were guided inside a room by the assistant and asked us what the problem is. then she wrote it in a paper..closed the door and out the papers at a pocket in the door. then we waited again..and then the doctor came in and checked us up.

then came the prescription. the doctor said the rashes may be caused by pests living in the carpets..because apartment suites are all carpeted. so now we go to the pharmacy to get our meds. like clinics...pharmacies are inside supermarkets that make it a lot easier to buy things that you really need. of course..i expect a pharmacy with one or two pharmacists that get your prescription and then hand the drug over you and its finished. but here it's a lot different. in a pharmacy there is 4 counters..and the counters represent one pharmacist. the pharmacist gets the prescription..and guess what? by the time you ask them that drug..it's the only time they make it. of course it does not work for all the drugs out there..there are drugs that are already made..but those drugs are the most common and are needed urgently. so if the drug is only made by the time you ask them..it will have a longer shelf life. and also..if it is by this system..chemicals will not be wasted.

then the drug is already made. the doctor prescribed us a cream to ease the itchyness. the person at the counter who gets the payment for the medicines is not a pharmacist..but only a normal clerk. when i got the cream..i was surprised by what is written. here..the patients are so protected that the drug they will be taking bears the name of the doctor who prescribed it..and also the name of the pharmacy who made it. so i thought that definitely it would be a crime making a mistake on prescribing a wrong drug because when that patient didn't get well..they can easily report it. i felt a little nervous because malpractice is really a crime here and the patients get justice everytime.

but of course this event will not stop me to become a good physician. it is not really my dream at first..but by having a great interest at human physiology and seeing what good it does for the people..i strongly dream of becoming a great doctor now. sometimes i even dream of finishing medicine at the world's top university--harvard medical school. it's because the foundation sometimes matters..if i study there..i can have the latest on the medical field..and provide great assistance to my future patients. really..becoming a doctor is not a pleasure to be one yourself..but the pleasure to be the one who can cure the people around you..especially those who you loved most ^________^

~acetylsalicylate